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Cliap.J^STifcopyright No.. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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The Old Man of the Mountain. 



COLONIAL LIFE 



IN 



NEW Hampshire 



BY ) 

JAMES H.'^'fASSETT 
'I 



BOSTON, U.S.A. 
GINN & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS 

1899 

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23470 



Copyright, 1899 
By JAMES H. FASSETT 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 



TWO COPIES REC:-«VEO* 




iV 



PREFACE. 



It is the belief of the author that the aim of all teachers 
of history should be to cultivate and foster in the minds of 
children a fondness for historical reading, rather than the 
mere memorizing of historical facts. In order to best 
accomplish this purpose, the child's interest should first be 
awakened by the historical associations of places with which 
he is familiar. He should be told the legends and stories of 
the town or city in which he lives, and at the same time 
carefully led to see their connection with the broader his- 
torical life of the country. Following the stories of local 
interest, the early history of the colony, with its accounts of 
the struggles and hardships endured by the early settlers, 
should be developed. This method will tend not only to 
broaden and intensify the child's interest in historical read- 
ing, but will give to him some conception of the value of 
his birthright as an individual of the state and of the 
nation. 

In writing the " Colonial Life of New Hampshire," it was 
thought best, for many reasons, to treat the subject topically 



iv PREFACE. 

rather than in the chronological order. In the separate 
chapters, however, events have been narrated, so far as 
possible, in their natural order. 

The author acknowledges his indebtedness to the local 
histories of New Hampshire towns ; Belknap's *' History of 
New Hampshire"; Chase's "History of Dartmouth Col- 
lege"; and Batchellor's editions of New Hampshire State 
Papers. 



CONTENTS 



-•o«- 



PAGE 

CHAPTER I. 
Early Settlements . i 

CHAPTER II. 
The Indians of New Hampshire 30 

CHAPTER III. 
Customs of the Settlers 42 

CHAPTER IV. 
Political History of the Colony 65 

CHAPTER V. 
Dartmouth College 79 

CHAPTER VI. 

Trouble between New Hampshire and New York ... 83 

CHAPTER VII. 
Beginnings of the Revolution 9^ 

CHAPTER VIII. 
General John Stark 96 

CHAPTER IX. 
General John Sullivan • . .120 

Index 141 



4* 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



" The Old Man of the Mountain " 

Blockhouse ....... 

Garrison House 

Headstone in South Nashua Cemetery 

Plan of an Algonquin Village 

Maple Sugar Camp 

The Sullivan Slave House 

A Kitchen Fireplace 

The Wentworth Mansion 

Fireplace in Wentworth Mansion 

Governor John Wentworth . 

Dartmouth Hall .... 

Eleazer Wheelock .... 

The Catamount or Green Mountain Tavern 

General John Stark .... 

Cannon Captured at Pjennington . 

War Relics of Battle of Bennington . 

General John Sullivan .... 

Portcullis of Fort William and Mary 

The Sullivan House 



Frontispiece 

PAGE 

7 

lO 

17 

31 

49 
60 

63 

72 

74 
76 

79 
81 

89 

97 
114 

121 

123 

134 



COLONIAL LIFE 



IN 



NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



CHAPTER I. 

EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 

The First Settlers. — During the summer of 1603 
two small vessels commanded by Captain Martin 
Pring sailed into what is now Portsmouth Harbor 
and explored Piscataqua River for some distance. 
Pring was much pleased with the thickly wooded 
hills and the rich lowlands along the river banks, 
and, upon returning to England, gave such an 
account of the country that many Englishmen of 
influence and wealth became interested in this part 
of the New World. 

Settlement at Pannaway. — In the year 1622 Mr. 
David Thompson obtained from the Grand Council of 
Plymouth a grant of land consisting of six thousand 
acres, the site of which was to be chosen by himself. 



2 COLONIAL LIFE 

With a company of colonists, he sailed in midwinter 
in a ship called the " Jonathan of Plymouth," and 
arrived at the Piscataqua in the spring of 1623. He 
chose for his place of settlement a location near the 
present city of Portsmouth, and soon completed a 
stone house large enough for himself and his follow- 
ers. Thompson remained at this place, which was 
called Pannaway, several years, during which time he 
traded with the Indians for furs, and caught and salted 
fish which were found in great quantities off the coast. 
Shortly after the settlement was established he was 
visited by the renowned Miles Standish of the Ply- 
mouth Colony. This small settlement remained and 
flourished, although its leader in the year 1626 moved 
to the colony of Massachusetts. 

Settlement at Dover. — About the time of the settle- 
ment at Pannaway a small company under the leader- 
ship of Mr. Edward Hilton built several log cabins 
near the present town of Dover, with the intention of 
establishing a trading-post. It was customary for the 
Plymouth company to demand that before any grant 
was made some settlement should be started to indi- 
cate the good faith of the persons who desired the 
land. Accordingly, Hilton brought to the notice of 
the Plymouth company the improvements which he 
had made on the Piscataqua, and in consideration of 
these, the company in the spring of 1630 granted him 
six thousand acres. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 3 

The Company of Laconia. — In 1629 the Grand 
Council of Plymouth gave to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, 
Captain John Mason, and seven other gentlemen a 
tract of territory near Lake Champlain, to which 
province they gave the name of Laconia, " on account 
of the great lakes therein." These men imagined that 
Lake Champlain lay about ninety miles from the 
coast, and that the head waters of the Piscataqua were 
but a few miles from this region. They therefore 
hired the buildings which were erected seven years 
before by David Thompson, and made them a basis 
of supplies for expeditions to this country which 
they supposed was to be so easily reached. After 
struggling for two years to find a direct route to 
Laconia, all efforts were abandoned. 

During this time, the colonists had noticed the 
many advantages which the region about the Piscat- 
aqua offered for commerce and fishing, and the Com- 
pany of Laconia in 1631 obtained a grant to this 
section ; but this grant in no way conflicted with the 
land previously given to Hilton. For a number of 
years the company continued under the leadership of 
Captain Walter Neale ; but as nothing was done 
toward reclaiming the wilderness, and as their returns 
were meagre, the company soon disbanded. 

Mason at this time bought the shares of two of 
his associates, and shortly before the surrender of 
the Grand Patent of the Company of Plymouth, 



4 COLONIAL LIFE 

procured a new grant of land in this section, which 
he called New Hampshire. But the name New 
Hampshire was not commonly used until 1679, 
when the colony was made a royal province. Mason 
persevered in his idea of settling this territory, and 
sent over many colonists with farming tools and 
cattle. He also set up two sawmills. Mason died 
in 1635, and for a time his widow managed the estate 
through her agent, Francis Norton. Finding that 
the expenses exceeded the returns, she soon severed 
all connection with the colony and left the settlers 
to shift for themselves as best they could. 

Founding of Exeter. — In the year 1638 the Reverend 
John Wheelright, a man of remarkable intellect and 
of great independence, came from the Massachusetts 
Colony with a band of followers and settled at Exeter. 
He had been banished from Massachusetts on account 
of his belief in the religious teachings of Mrs. Anne 
Hutchinson a woman of great power, who profoundly 
stirred the theological minds of her time. A year 
after the founding of Exeter a code of laws was 
agreed upon, which formed the first written consti- 
tution of any New Hampshire settlement. The next 
year the colonists along the Piscataqua River entered 
into a similar constitution in order to protect them- 
selves against " sundry mischiefes and inconven- 
iences." Thus the little settlements acknowledged 
their mutual dependence for law and order upon a 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 5 

written ao^reement which was more or less bindinor 
for all their people. 

Grants by Massachusetts. — The early towns along 
the Merrimac River for a long time were supposed to 
be under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, and grants 
were made under the authority of that colony. Of 
these towns, Dunstable was the earliest to be settled, 
but many others soon obtained charters from Massa- 
chusetts. This land was practically given to the 
settlers, but a nominal fee known as " quitt rents " 
was reserved by the authorities. In some instances 
the payment consisted of one ear of Indian corn for a 
rental of ten years. Usually a number of settlers 
combined and asked for the charter of a township, 
which was afterwards surveyed and divided among 
them, generally by lot. 

Massachusetts finally had so many petitions pre- 
sented for lands that she granted not only townships, 
but lines of towns, which were so situated as to 
effectually protect the frontier settlements. In the 
southern part of the state four lines were granted in 
the form of a quadrilateral extending west from Dun- 
stable to Northfield, Massachusetts ; from that place 
north along the east side of the Connecticut ; thence 
east to Penacook (Concord), and from Penacook 
south to Dunstable. Only two of these sides were 
really settled under this arrangement, — the north 
side, where they were numbered from one to nine, 



6 COLONIAL LIFE 

and the west side, where they were numbered from 
one to four : it was from this fact that Charlestown 
was originally known as Number Four. 

Conflicts with the Indians. — During the early years 
of the colony the settlers found the Indians well dis- 
posed, and these friendly relations were maintained 
for a long time. They traded with each other to 
mutual advantage. The Indians furnished many 
things to the whites, who in turn gave the Indians 
many articles which they were unable to make. 

Gradually, however, misunderstandings began to 
arise. As the settlements spread, the Indians found 
themselves pushed farther and farther back toward 
the west, where they were checked by the powerful 
Iroquois. They could not understand the white men's 
ideas of the ownership of land, nor could they compre- 
hend the strict laws of the settlers or the crimes for 
which they were sometimes punished. They saw their 
hunting grounds and garden spots turned into farms 
and villages, and, becoming desperate, resolved to 
regain their lands from the settlers. In consequence, 
many expeditions were made against the exposed settle- 
ments. In these attacks the Indians were aided by 
gifts of arms and ammunition from the French in 
Canada, and therefore our forefathers were scarcely 
less bitter toward the French than toward the savages 
themselves. 

The Indians practiced the same cruelties upon the 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



whites that they were accustomed to Inflict when fight- 
ing with each other. Always after a successful attack 
the captives who were not capable of traveling were 
put to death, and the others were taken to Canada, 
where they were either held for ransom or sold as 
slaves. It is estimated that during one year ten per 
cent of the men in New Hampshire were killed by 
Indian raiders. Men carried their flintlock oruns 
with them everywhere, — into the fields on week- 
days and into the meeting-houses on Sundays. To 
protect their log cabins, they built around them high 
fences of upright logs, 
which were sharpened 
and driven close to- 
gether into the earth. 
In order to attack 
people within, the Indi- 
ans had to expose them- 
selves in climbins: over 
these palisades. In ad- 
dition, every community 
had at least one block- 
house, which was a sort 
of fort built large 
enough to hold several 
families. The first story was constructed like a log 
cabin, but the second was so built that it projected 
out beyond the first. By this means the attacking 




Blockhouse. 



8 COLONIAL LIFE 

party could be fired on from above and driven from 
the walls, which would otherwise protect the Indians 
without as much as they did the settlers within. 

Death of Major Waldron (1689). — During these 
troublesome times in New Hampshire the exposed 
settlements in Massachusetts were attacked by Indians 
under the command of a powerful chief named Philip, 
but after several massacres the savages were over- 
come and their leader was killed. A large num- 
ber of Philip's people came to the tribes in the south- 
ern part of New Hampshire, where they attempted to 
stir up a warlike spirit. This reached the ears of the 
authorities in Boston, and a company of soldiers was 
sent to stop the threatened uprising. Upon reaching 
Dover they found two or three hundred Indians enter- 
tained by Major Waldron whom the savages consid- 
ered their fast friend. Among this number there 
were several of King Philip's Indians whom the 
soldiers wished to take prisoners at once, but Waldron 
advised them to wait until the next day, when he 
would arrange a sham fight, and the Indians, being 
unarmed, could be taken without resistance. This 
was done, and, not suspecting any surprise, they 
were easily captured. All, however, were released, 
with the exception of King Philip's old soldiers, who 
were brought captive to Boston. Eight of them were 
afterwards convicted of murder and hanged, while 
the rest were sold as slaves. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 9 

The Indians never forgave Major Waldron his 
treachery, and while still pretending friendship were 
quietly laying plans for revenge. On the evening 
of June 27, 1689, two squaws applied at each of 
the garrison houses in Dover for permission to sleep. 
A chief named Mesandowit was also entertained at 
Major Waldron's. While they were at supper the 
Indian quietly asked Waldron, " What would you do 
if the strange Indians come ? " Waldron, with con- 
fidence in the strength of his defense, replied, " I can 
assemble a hundred and fifty men by lifting my 
finger." 

During the night the squaws unbarred the doors 
of the blockhouses, and, at a signal, the Indians who 
were waitino^ outside rushed in and bes^an their ter- 
rible work. Major Waldron, although eighty years 
old, grasped his sword and for a time beat them 
back, but finally was knocked down by a blow from 
behind. The savages lashed him to his armchair, 
placed it on a table, and told him to judge Indians 
now as he had done before. A number of them owed 
him money for goods, and each of these drew his 
knife across the old man's breast, crying, " Thus I 
cross out my account! " while others taunted him with 
his treachery. At last, fainting from the loss of blood, 
he fell to the floor and the house was set on fire. 

Attacks upon the Settlement at Oyster River. — Two 
months later in the same year a large body of Indians 



lO 



COLONIAL LIFE 



came down the Oyster River, with the intention of 
attacking the garrisons at that place. They first 
killed a party of eighteen persons belonging to 
Huckins' garrison, as they were going to their morn- 
ing devotions, and then attacked the house, in which 
were only women and children. For some time the 
savages were heroically beaten off by the efforts of 

two young boys, who 




poured a continuous 
fire upon them and 
wounded several. 
At length they set 
fire to the house, 
but even then the 
boys would not sur- 
render until the 
Indians had prom- 
ised to spare the 
lives of all the in- 
mates. They broke 
their word, however, and all the younger children 
were killed, while the rest were carried away as 
captives. 

During the summer of 1694, under the leadership 
of Sieur de Villieu, a company of two hundred fifty 
Indians made a general attack upon the fourteen 
garrison houses at this settlement on Oyster River. 
In the encounter which followed, five of the block- 



Garrison House. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. II 

houses fell into the hands of the enemy, and their 
inmates were either horribly murdered or sold into 
slavery in Canada. The others successfully resisted 
the attacks, and several of the Indians were killed. 

A brave man named Bickford, being forewarned 
of the advance, sent his wife and children down the 
river in a boat, and determined to defend his home 
single-handed. The Indians endeavored to persuade 
Bickford to surrender, but he refused with scorn all 
their offers. In order to deceive them and make 
them think that they were opposed by a strong 
force, he changed his coat and his hat many times 
and fired from different loopholes about the for- 
tress. He also gave stirring commands to an 
imaginary band of defenders. The Indians were 
completely deceived by his stratagem, and after a 
short time the entire force withdrew and left the 
solitary man in possession of the home he had so 
nobly defended. 

Bravery Shown by Women. — The attitude which 
the women assumed during these trying times is one 
of which New Hampshire may be justly proud. 
Strong of body and keen of intellect, they were ever 
ready to help their husbands in the protection of their 
families. When it was necessary for the men to be 
absent they did the work in the fields and cared for 
the live stock. When fighting was to be done they 
could always be relied upon to handle the flintlock 



12 COLONIAL LIFE 

as ably as the men in defense of their homes. Too 
much honor, indeed, cannot be paid to the wives of 
our forefathers. 

Among the captives taken at the attack upon 
Dover was Sarah Gerrish, a little seven-year-old girl, 
granddaughter of Major Waldron. At the end of a 
most fatiguing journey she arrived with her captors 
in Canada. After some time she was purchased by 
a wealthy French lady and placed in a nunnery ; but 
later she was ransomed and returned to her parents, 
who had given up all hope of seeing her again. 

On the 22d of March, 1690, the village of Salmon 
Falls was attacked by a band of Indians and utterly 
destroyed. Thirty of the people were killed and as 
many more taken to Canada as captives. One of 
these, Robin Rodgers, was burned at the stake as 
punishment for attempting to escape during the 
journey. Mehitable Goodwin, another of the captives, 
had a most terrible experience. The savage into 
whose charge she had been given, annoyed by the 
crying of her child, which was so small that she 
carried it in her arms, snatched it away and killed 
it before her eyes. Upon arriving in Canada she was 
sold as a slave and kept five years, at the end of which 
time she was enabled to return to her friends, who 
had mourned for her as dead. 

During the spring of 1706 the Indians attacked a 
cabin near Oyster River and killed all of its inmates. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 13 

They then made an attack upon a blockhouse near 
by. As it happened, there was not a man in the fort 
at the time. The women, however, not at all daunted, 
loaded their guns and prepared for a stubborn fight. 
That the Indians might think they were men, they 
undid their hair and allowed it to hang loosely over 
their shoulders. They also shot from different loop- 
holes, in order that the savages might be deceived as 
to their numbers. The fire which they poured upon 
the attacking force was so sharp and so accurate that 
after a short time the Indians withdrew, havinor lost 
many of their best warriors. 

Colonel Winthrop Hilton. — During the year 17 10 the 
settlements of New Hampshire lost one of their 
bravest defenders in Colonel Hilton. While busily at 
work peeling bark from mast trees, he and his work- 
men were ambushed by a party of Indians ; at the first 
fire Hilton and two of his men were killed, but the 
remainder of the party were able to make their escape. 

Many stories are told of the prowess of Hilton. 
The following account, although related many years 
afterwards, is doubtless true. 

Previous to the trouble with the Indians Colonel 
Hilton had always been very friendly with them. On 
many occasions he had been of assistance to the 
savages by furnishing them food and shelter and by 
protecting them from being cheated in trade with 
unscrupulous whites. 



14 COLONIAL LIFE 

After the outbreak of the wars, however, the Indians 
found that they were constantly being thwarted in 
their plans by Hilton's wisdom and cunning. Finally, 
one of the chiefs, who had formerly been his particular 
friend, decided that Hilton must die, and for this 
purpose ten of his best warriors were picked out and 
instructed by the old chief not to return without 
him, alive or dead. They came upon him as he was 
weedins: corn not far from the blockhouse, with his 
rifle resting against a stump at some little distance. 
Quietly the Indians took advantage of the situation, 
and, having crept between Hilton and his gun, 
demanded that he accompany them. 

Hilton immediately saw that he was securely caught, 
and, putting a pleasant face on the matter, treated the 
whole proceeding as a good joke of his old friend the 
chief. He chatted with his captors in the most uncon- 
cerned manner, asking about their families and their 
success in trapping. In this way they tramped several 
miles, until they reached a deserted log house which 
the Indians appropriated. As they were so strong in 
number they took no special precaution against their 
captive. They securely barred the only door, and, 
after setting their guns together in a corner, each one 
proceeded to roast his meat before the open fire. 

Meantime Hilton was constantly talking with them, 
and finally asked permission to examine their guns. 
This being granted, he took up the guns one by one, 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



15 



and as he did so commented on the good points of 
their " kill-deers." The Indians did not notice, how- 
ever, that as he set them back each one was cocked 
and ready for firing. 

A most singular contest now took place. One man 
matched himself against ten; with the utmost coolness 
and quick as lightning, one Indian after another fell 
under his accurate aim. The Indians rushed upon 
him, but were driven back by tremendous blows from 
the stock of his gun, and as they reeled back more 
guns were fired and each time an Indian was killed. 

Thus the struggle continued until but one red man 
was left alive. He succeeded in unbarrino^ the door 
and in making his escape. Hilton, with the ten guns 
upon his shoulders, marched in triumph toward his 
home, and on the way was met by a company of 
settlers who had started out for his rescue. 

The Dunstable Massacre. — An Indian raid which 
turned out most unfortunately for the settlers at 
Dunstable, New Hampshire, occurred in September, 
1724. One morning Nathan Cross and Thomas 
Blanchard, citizens of the town, crossed the Nashua 
River and began their usual work of making turpentine 
fromi the pine trees which abounded in this region. 
The day being rainy, they placed their luncheon and 
their guns in the hollow trunk of a fallen tree. While 
busy at work and wholly unsuspicious of an attack, 
they were surrounded by a large body of Indians and 



l6 COLONIAL LIFE 

forced to surrender. The savages then cut the hoops 
of the barrels of turpentine, and, having done as much 
mischief as possible, took the two men with them as 
captives up the west bank of the Merrimac. 

The neighbors, becoming frightened at their long 
absence, crossed the river in search of them. They 
easily found from the signs that Blanchard and Cross 
had been captured, and one of the brightest of the 
party judged, as the turpentine from the barrels had 
not yet ceased flowing, that it had not been long 
since the capture was effected. 

This man, Farwell by name, counselled the others 
to take a circuitous route and by marching rapidly, 
to get ahead of the Indians and thus surprise them. 
Their leader, however, thinking Farwell's advice arose 
from cowardice, urged them to follow directly on the 
path of the Indians, and started off, saying, " I shall 
take the direct path. If any one of you is not afraid, 
let him follow me." 

They had journeyed hardly three miles when the 
Indians, expecting this pursuit, fell upon them from 
an ambuscade and killed them all, with the exception 
of Farwell, who had cautiously kept in the rear, and 
thus was able to escape after a hot pursuit. He made 
his way back to the settlement and reported the result 
of the struggle. This was an exceedingly hard blow 
to the little town of Dunstable, w^hich could ill afford 
at this time to lose eight of its most valued protectors. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



17 



On the next day a strong party went to the scene of 
conflict, and the bodies of the slain were brouo-ht 
home. They were all interred in one grave, and an 
old headstone in the cemetery back of the school- 
house at South Nashua may now be seen marking the 
spot of their burial. The two captives were taken 
to Canada and were finally ransomed. After many 
years, when these men re- 
turned to their homes, 
they found the remains of 
two guns still lying in the 
hollow tree where they 
had been placed so long 
before. The settlers be- 
came furious at these re- 
peated attacks and made 
many expeditions against 
the savages, but, as the 
latter were far more fa- 
miliar with the ways and 
paths of the forest, very few of these were suc- 
cessful. 

Loveweirs Fight (1725). — John Lovewell of Dun- 
stable, was a man particularly well fitted for waging 
Indian warfare. His sagacity and knowledge of 
woodcraft made him a formidable opponent to the 
cunning of the savages. Two successful expeditions 
were made under his charge. On the first, the scout- 




Headstone in South Nashua Cemetery. 



l8 COLONIAL LIFE 

ing party killed one Indian and captured a boy, and 
on the second, they surprised and killed a body of 
eight Indians, who, armed with new guns and plenty 
of anrniunition, were evidently on their way to attack 
and to plunder the settlements. i 

Encouraged by this success, Lovewell was enabled 
to raise a body of men for the purpose of attacking 
a village of Pequakets under the noted chief Paugus. 
When about thirty miles distant from this village the 
company halted a few days, in order to make a rude 
fort to which they might retire in case of defeat. One 
morning after the completion of the fort, as they were 
marching: in Indian file alono^ the shore of a small 
lake, an Indian was seen a little way in front. Sus- 
pecting that he was placed there for the purpose of 
leading them into an ambush, they quietly put off 
their packs and cautiously advanced. When within 
range, the Indian was fired upon and killed, but not 
until he had seriously wounded Captain Lovewell. 

Meantime, a large body of Indians under Paugus, 
who had been following them for two days waiting a 
favorable opportunity to attack, had seized the packs 
and by counting them, learned that the white men 
were fewer in number than they had supposed. They 
quietly concealed themselves and waited for the return 
of the settlers. As Lovewell's men came forward the 
Indians fired, and then followed for more than eight 
hours a severe battle. From behind trees and rocks 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 19 

both Indians and whites watched keenly for one who 
should expose any part of his body. 

After several hours of this kind of fiQ^htino: the rifles 
of Chamberlain, one of the white men, and of Paueus, 
the Indian chief, became fouled. They both, as it 
happened, crept to the pond to wash their guns at the 
same time. Then came a trial to see which could eet 
his gun cleaned and loaded first. Both worked with 
equal rapidity, and their guns were loaded at the same 
time. But in those days guns had to be primed, that 
is, a little powder was poured into a small pan, which 
caught the fire from sparks struck by the fiint. Fortu- 
nately, Chamberlain's gun had so large an opening 
leading from this pan to the barrel of his gun that by 
striking the stock a sharp blow^ the pan would fill 
itself with powder, while Paugus had to pour some 
into his from his powder horn. This gave Chamber- 
lain an advantage. Aiming his gun at Paugus, he 
fired and killed him, but he had indeed very little time 
to spare, for the bullet from Paugus' gun cut a hole in 
his cap. 

At dusk the Indians withdrew. Then it was found 
that there were only nine men out of the thirty-four 
who were uninjured. The Indians, with twice as many 
at the beginning of the fight, had less than twenty 
unharmed. This fight, although not a decisive vic- 
tory, was very disheartening to the savages. 

It is impossible to describe the terrible sufferings 



20 COLONIAL LIFE 

of the wounded while endeavoring to return to the 
settlements. One man, who owing to his wounds was 
unable to walk and had to be left, asked them to load 
his gun and place it by his side in order that he might 
shoot one more Indian before being scalped. 

Expedition to Louisburg (1745). — As a key to their 
possessions in Canada, the French, at an enormous 
expense, had built and fortified Louisburg. The walls 
of the fortress were constructed of solid masonry forty 
feet thick at the base, twenty-five feet high, and sur- 
rounded by a deep moat. 

There were three things which led the colonists to 
make an expedition against this fortress. In the first 
place, it was understood that there was much dissension 
among the soldiers at the fort, leading almost to 
mutiny. Second, for a long time their commerce had 
suffered because French vessels had used the harbor 
at Louisburg as a perfectly safe place from which to 
make their sallies and to which they could retreat in 
case of attack. And, finally, they were led by popular 
indignation, which had been aroused through the 
harsh treatment of English prisoners who had been 
kept at Louisburg. So strong was the feeling con- 
cerning this expedition that men of all trades and 
professions, even clergymen, volunteered. Colonel 
William Pepperell of Kittery was put in command. 

Louisburg was considered impregnable by the 
French. They had one hundred sixty-one cannon, 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 21 

seventy-six swivels, and sixteen hundred men. They 
thought that two hundred men could defend it against 
a force of five thousand; yet it proved that sixteen 
hundred men were not able to hold it ao^ainst four 
thousand Yankees with only eighteen guns and three 
mortars. 

The French were, indeed, astonished to see a New 
England army approaching, because, besides the mas- 
sive walls, there were deep marshes to be crossed, over 
which it seemed impossible to transport artillery. A 
New Hampshire colonel, however, solved the problem. 
He built sledges of wood, on which the guns were 
placed, and the men, often knee-deep in mud, drew 
them through the marshes by means of straps over 
their shoulders. 

One of the most conspicuous officers of this campaign 
was Colonel William Vaughn of Portsmouth. He 
conducted the first column through the woods and 
when within sight of the city saluted it with three 
cheers. Later, with a detachment of but thirteen men, 
he captured and held a battery of thirty guns, although 
it was attacked by a force of French, outnumbering 
his own little company ten to one. 

These successes, together with the capture of the 
French ship ''Vigilant," which was laden with military 
stores for the relief of the garrison, led the French 
commander on June 15, 1745, to surrender Louisburg, 
which was probably the strongest fortress in the world. 



22 COLONIAL LIFE 

When news of the victory was received the people 
went fairly wild with rejoicing and offered to invade 
Canada ; but England was afraid to encourage a 
knowledge of war in her colonists, fearing lest they 
would realize their own strength and rebel against the 
home government. This victory, however, showed 
the Americans what a band of resolute men could do 
against a powerful enemy. 

When the treaty was made between France and 
England, Louisburg was given back to France, much 
to America's disgust ; but it was not to remain long 
in her possession. 

French and Indian Attack upon Charlestown. — In the 
spring of 1747 Captain Phineas Stevens, with a party 
of thirty men, occupied a deserted fort, then called 
Number Four, but now known as Charlestow^n, New 
Hampshire. 

He had hardly time to put the fort in repair before 
it was attacked by a large party of Indians, under the 
leadership of Monsieur Debeline. The dogs at the 
fort fortunately warned the garrison of the Indians' 
approach, so that the defenders were able to take every 
precaution. The attack was carried on sharply, and 
many men were lost on both sides. The Indians tried 
by every means in their power to burn the fort. They 
set the adjoining buildings on fire and shot flaming 
arrows upon the roof of the garrison house, but through 
the watchfulness and daring of the inmates their efforts 
were not successful. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 23 

For two days the attack continued, when the French 
officer asked for a parley, at which he ordered Stevens 
to surrender the fort, stating that if this were done he 
would consider the Americans prisoners of war, but if 
his demands were refused all should be killed. To this 
calm proposal Stevens replied that, until compelled, he 
would not surrender the fort which had been intrusted 
to him. The French officer returned, " Go and see if 
your men dare fight any longer, and give me a quick 
answer." Stevens then told the Frenchman that his 
men were fully as anxious to fight as he was himself, 
and that they would continue to hold the fort. 
Angered at this reply, coming as it did from so small 
a body of men, the Indians, led by their French com- 
mander, made a furious charge, attacking three sides 
of the fort at the same time. The brave garrison, 
realizing that to be captured meant death by torture, 
fought desperately. After a sharp hand-to-hand en- 
counter the Indians were driven back, but not until 
they had suffered the loss of many warriors. 

The next day, after asking for another parley, two 
Indians came forward to say that if Stevens would sell 
them some corn they would retire. Stevens replied 
that he could not sell them provisions, but that he 
would give them five bushels of corn for every English 
captive for whom they should leave a hostage until 
the captives could be brought from Canada. At this 
reply a few shots were fired at the fort and the attack- 



24 COLONIAL LIFE 

ino- forces withdrew. The news of this successful 
resistance was received with great rejoicing at Boston, 
and Stevens obtained merited praise for his stubborn 
defense. Sir Charles Knowlton, who was in Boston 
at the time, presented Stevens with a costly sword, 
and it was from this same Sir Charles that Number 
Four was afterward called Charlestown. 

Kilburn's Defense. — During the spring of 1755 an 
Indian named Philip called at the cabin of John 
Kilburn, who, with several others, had settled near 
the present town of Walpole. Philip, who could 
speak a few words of English, came into the cabin, 
and, after lighting his pipe with a coal from the fire- 
place, asked Kilburn's wife to give him a piece of flint 
for his gun ; upon receiving this he disappeared. It 
happened that Kilburn had reason to visit the settle- 
ments lower down on the river, and he learned 
that the Indian had also called there and had asked 
for flints. This fact aroused suspicion that the 
Indian was acting as a spy and caused the settlers 
to be doubly cautious in all their movements. To 
add to this alarm, news was brought by a friendly 
Indian, sent from Governor Shirley of Albany, New 
York, that four or five hundred Indians were about to 
start from Canada for the purpose of destroying all 
the settlements along the Connecticut. The settlers 
took every precaution in their power to meet this 
expected attack. Doors and windows were strongly 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 25 

barred, and the houses were fortified as thoroughly as 
possible. 

The first attack fell upon Kilburn. As he and a 
man named Peak were returning from their morn- 
ing's work with their two sons, they discovered the 
legs of several Indians through the underbrush which 
skirted the meadow. Without waitino; to investieate 
further, they ran for the cabin and securely fastened 
the door. The Indians, seeing that their intended 
ambuscade was discovered, did not attack them at 
once, but crossed the mouth of Cold River, where 
they placed themselves in ambush to surprise Colonel 
Bellows (for whom Bellows Falls, Vermont, was named), 
who was working with his men a short distance east 
of this place. In this they were disappointed, for the 
dogs belonging to Bellows' men gave them warning, 
so that after a sharp encounter they were able to elude 
the Indians. 

The savages, balked in this attempt, returned to 
Kilburn's cabin. Philip, the treacherous spy, approach- 
ing the house, cried out : 

" Old John, young John, I know you. Come out 
here ; we give good quarter." 

" Quarter ! " shouted Kilburn, " quarter ! you black 
rascals ; begone, or we '11 quarter you ! " 

At this reply a general volley was fired at the cabin 
which riddled the roof, but the thick logs which 
formed the sides offered an effectual resistance. Our 



26 COLONIAL LIFE 

small band of defenders prepared for a stubborn fight. 
Powder was poured into hats that it might be gotten 
at more readily. In addition to the four already 
named, Kilburn's wife and his daughter Hattie aided 
much in the defense. 

During the first part of the engagement the women 
were kept busy reloading the extra guns which by 
good fortune they possessed. Very unfortunately, 
during the fight their store of bullets ran out. The 
pewter dishes and spoons, however, were quickly 
melted and run into bullet moulds, and when these 
were exhausted the cjuick-witted women thought of a 
method of obtaining lead from the enemy. While 
there was a lull in the firing they hung heavy blankets 
from the ridgepole. The bullets, retarded by passing 
through the roof, were stopped by the blankets and 
fell harmlessly to the floor. These they quickly 
gathered up and melted over again. 

Several times the Indians tried to force open the 
door by means of a battering ram. Ten or a dozen of 
the bravest would lift a huge log upon their shoulders 
and rush with it against the door of the cabin. 
Nothing but the stoutest oak could withstand these 
tremendous blows. This method of attack, however, 
exposed the Indians to a heavy fire from the cabin, 
and, after a few trials, they were forced to give up the 
idea of breaking in the door. The fight continued 
unceasingly until sundown, when, baffled by the 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 2/ 

stubborn resistance which they had so unexpectedly 
encountered, they withdrew, but not until many 
Indians had been killed. 

Destruction of the Indian Village of St. Francis. — The 
best known and most cordially hated of all Canadian 
governors was Count Frontenac, who came to this 
country first in 1672. Ten years later he was with- 
drawn from his governorship, but when war was 
declared against Great Britain in 1689 he was again 
given command. 

Count Frontenac instigated many Indian raids 
aofainst the Eno^lish settlements, and furnished the 
Indians with guns and ammunition. He even went 
so far as to collect a number of Indian tribes in 
a villao-e called St. Francis, in order that he might 
have them constantly at hand as a menace to the 
En owlish colonists. 

In September, 1759, nearly a hundred years after 
St. Francis was founded. Sir Jeffrey Amherst deter- 
mined to teach these Indians a lesson, and for the 
purpose gave Major Rogers command of a company 
of two hundred men, with orders to lead them against 
this village. 

Starting from Crown Point, Rogers, with his 
troops, passed down Lake Champlain in boats. On 
the fifth day after leaving Crown Point a keg of 
powder accidentally exploded, killing a number of men 
and seriously w^ounding several others, who had to be 



28 COLONIAL LIFE 

conducted by a guard back to the fort. This unfortu- 
nate affair reduced the force from two hundred to one 
hundred forty-two men. Arriving at Missiscoe Bay, 
Rogers concealed his boats in the bushes, together 
with sufficient provisions for the return journey. On 
the second day of their march he was overtaken by 
the two men who had been left on guard at the lake. 
They had traveled in great haste to inform him that 
a party of four hundred French and Indians had 
discovered the boats and started in pursuit. The fate 
of the expedition looked dubious ; either he must give 
up the attack, or outmarch his pursuers. He deter- 
mined on the latter course, and his little band pushed 
on rapidly. On the 4th of October, at eight o'clock 
in the evening, they came in sight of the town of St. 
Francis, where the Indians, entirely unsuspecting, were 
having a grand dance. During the night, Rogers 
placed his men around the village, and at break of day 
they began the attack. The Indians were completely 
surprised and made little resistance. The white men, 
having found poles, scattered through the village, to 
which had been fastened many scalps of English 
women and children, were beside themselves with 
anger. Between two and three hundred Indians 
were killed. The whole village had become en- 
riched by the sale of English scalps to the French 
government and from the plunder which had been 
captured on their many raids. Over a thousand dol- 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 29 

lars in money was found, a silver image weighing 
ten pounds, and large quantities of wampum and 
supplies. The entire place was burned, and at eight 
o'clock on the morning of the assault Rogers was in 
retreat. During the march he was attacked from the 
rear by a small band of Indians, who shot several 
of his men. Favored by dusk, he formed an am- 
buscade on his own track, and fell upon and killed 
the Indians who followed him. 

For about ten days the detachment kept together, 
and then it was thought best to divide into small 
parties which could march more rapidly toward some 
of the English settlements. Through lack of provi- 
sions, the men suffered extremely, but Rogers, with a 
majority of his force, finally reached Number Four. 
This expedition made a deep impression on the sav- 
ages and caused a feeling of insecurity which they 
never before had experienced. 

Capture of Canada. — The next year, 1 760, Sir Jeffrey 
Amherst appeared before Montreal, and its comman- 
dant surrendered the city, together with the whole of 
Canada. The Peace of Paris was brought about in 
1763, by which all the French and Indian wars were 
made a thing of the past. Hereafter the settlers 
were allowed to possess their homes and pursue their 
trades in peace. 



30 COLONIAL LIFE 



CHAPTER II. 

THE INDIANS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. 

New Hampshire, abounding as it does in moun- 
tains, rivers, and beautiful lakes, seemed an ideal spot 
for the Indians. The woods were full of game and 
the rivers of fish. It is no wonder that the Indian 
was loath to give up his right to this place which 
nature had made so beautiful and which was particu- 
larly well fitted for his savage mode of life. 

The Algonquin Race. — Throughout the state were 
many small tribes or families, each of which was 
composed of kinsmen. In times of great danger, 
however, these small families united and chose a 
leader, who was usually the chief of the most power- 
ful tribe. Passaconaway of the Penicooks, who lived 
near the present city of Concord, was such a leader 
among the New Hampshire tribes. 

All the Indians along the Atlantic seaboard belonged 
to the great family known as the Algonquin. They 
were a brave, fearless, and dominant race who were 
greatly attached to their land, as, indeed, were all Indi- 
ans. Directly west of New Hampshire, and closely 
bordering upon it, was the home of another great 
family called the Iroquois. They were even more 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



31 



enlightened than the Algonquin family. Their homes 
were larger, and they were bound together more closely 
as a nation. 

Family Life. — All Indians were remarkable for their 
hospitality. No visitor was allowed to go away with- 
out partaking of 






their food. In 
fact an Indian 
would rather 
have gone with- 
out, himself, than 
to have had a 
guest neglected. 
Hospitality was 
to them an un- 
written law that 
must be obeyed, 
and had become 
a part of the In- 
dian nature. 

The villages, 
or small tribes, 
practically held 
everything in 
common like a 
large family, and 
what affected one affected all. The houses of the 
Indians when the first settlers came, contrary to the 




[i:3 lIIlB 



Plan of an Algonquin Village. 

(From an old print.) 



32 COLONIAL LIFE 

usual belief, were sometimes sixty or eighty feet long 
with a round roof, which was generally covered with 
movable matting, and in each house lived from three 
to twenty families. 

Position of the Indian Women. — While, in a general 
sense, the warrior was the head of the household, yet 
within the home the mother was supreme, and the 
mother-right, as it was called, was very carefully 
guarded. The warrior, when he married, always 
joined the tribe to which his wife belonged. The 
wife, if the husband did not provide for the household 
properly, had the power to drive him away. The 
husband was looked upon as a hero, the defender of 
the family, the hunter, and the provider of meat. It 
is natural that, looking upon the man in this way, 
the woman believed it her duty to relieve him of all 
drudgery at home. For this reason we find the squaw 
doing all the work, planting and hoeing the garden, 
bringing the water and wood, not because she was 
driven to it, as many have supposed, but because she 
was willing to do the menial labor so long as the hus- 
band maintained his dignity as a warrior ; but should 
he prove lacking in courage, no squaw would work 
for him. 

In looking upon the man as a defender and a pro- 
tector, the trust of the woman was seldom misplaced. 
It is said that an Indian once walked forty miles in 
order to obtain a few cranberries for his sick wife. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 33 

Another father cheerfully surrendered himself to be 
tortured, in place of his young son, who had been 
captured by an unfriendly band of Indians. This 
substitution was accepted and the boy was allowed to 
go free, while the father was burned at the stake. 

Indian Hunters. - — As hunters, the Indians were 
unsurpassed. Their only weapons were the bow and 
arrow, spear, club, and tomahawk, with which they 
killed the bear, deer, moose, beaver, wild pigeon, 
and other game. The secrets of the forest were 
an open book to them. They could track their 
game for miles through dense woods and over 
rocky ledges, where to the unpracticed eye there was 
no sign that any animal had passed. They were 
trained to be so watchful and observant, that a broken 
twig or a bent blade of grass told them not only that 
game had been by, but even what kind it was. 
When hunting, they often ran for hours without 
food or water with the most marvelous powers of 
endurance. 

Indian Children. — Until a child was two years old, 
it was kept in a bag made of soft padded leather and 
usually slung over its mother's back, but afterwards it 
was allowed to run about and play with the other 
children. The boys were early taught to run, jump, 
swim, and wrestle, and the skill of even the small 
boys with the bow and arrow was very great. The 
older men took the keenest delight in teaching 



34 COLOxNIAL LIFE 

sports and games to the little ones, and they watched 
their improvement closely from day to day. Before 
the boy could become a warrior he had to pass through 
many trials of fasting. When fifteen years old, a fast 
of five days was imposed as a final test. While the 
boys were taught the arts of warfare, the girls were 
given lessons in hard work. They brought wood 
for the fire, and water for cooking, and were prepared 
thoroughly for their share of responsibility. 

Boys were never whipped by their parents, who 
believed this punishment to be degrading, and acts 
of disobedience or insubordination were allowed to 
pass without the " thrashing " which our forefathers 
thought so necessary. 

Many things were taught the Indian youths and 
instilled into their natures which would form an 
excellent foundation for manhood and womanhood in 
any people. Among them were hospitality, respect 
for the aged, truthfulness, honesty, independence, and 
courtesy. With these attributes, however, were taught 
the most remorseless desire for revenge and relentless 
cruelty toward enemies. 

The boys and young men were very fond of games 
and were always good-natured, no matter who was 
victorious. They played shinney, football, tag, hide- 
and-seek, and a game which formed the beginning of 
our national baseball. The girls enjoyed their dolls 
and mud pies when not helping their mothers. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 35 

How the Indians Farmed. — All alonsf the banks of 
the Merrimac and Connecticut rivers, in the rich, 
alluvial soil, the Indians had their small patches of 
cultivated land, in which the squaws planted corn, 
pumpkins, squashes, melons, and beans. In the spring, 
when the ale wives came up the rivers from the sea, 
they were caught in great numbers and used to fer- 
tilize the hills of corn ; for digging up the weeds 
they had a primitive kind of hoe formed from a 
piece of slate to which was fastened a handle made 
of strong withes bound with rawhide. In this crude 
way they tilled the soil. 

Food of the Indians. — When the corn was laro^e 
enough, it was cut green from the cob and boiled, 
and was known to the Indians as samp. When corn 
and beans were cooked together, the dish was called 
succotash. Hominy was made by pounding dry corn 
in a mortar with a stone pestle until it w^as made into 
coarse meal, which was then boiled. Baked beans, 
the dish w^iich is typical of New England, came 
originally from the Indians. They made corn cake, 
baking it on flat rocks before the fire, and also gave 
to our boys and girls popcorn, which they called " the 
corn that flowers." It is said that the Indians were 
the first to make use of gruel for the sick room. 

In the summer the women and children picked 
wild raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and black- 
berries ; in the autumn they went nutting for chest- 



36 COLONIAL LIFE 

nuts, hickory nuts, and beech nuts, which they, like 
the squirrels, stored up for winter use. 

The food was boiled in an earthen pot, which was 
made by lining a wicker basket with clay and sand. 
This was put upon the fire, and when the basket was 
burned away, a serviceable pot was left. Pieces of 
the pottery are found even now with the print of the 
basket work on them. Their spoons and ladles were 
made from seashells and their knives from flint. 

Mechanical Skill of the Indians. — The Indians w^ere 
by no means an unskilled race of savages. They 
had many mechanical contrivances of a high order, 
and their skill in handling rude tools was very 
remarkable. Their bows and arrows, usually made 
from the tough and springy hickory wood, were 
beautifully formed and exceedingly accurate. They 
also had spears for fishing which were like their 
arrows, only larger and longer, with a triangular piece 
of flint for the head. The war club was cut from 
a stout oaken stick with a heavy knob on one end, 
in which they often fastened jagged pieces of flint. 
Stone hatchets, or axes, were made in an interesting 
way. The head was carefully formed with a groove 
around it, and was inserted in a small, growing sap- 
ling which had been split for the purpose. It was 
allowed to remain in this position until the young 
tree had grown around the stone so as to hold it very 
securely, when it was cut off above and below, leav- 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 37 

ing a sufficient handle. Thus a very strong and 
durable weapon was made. 

The squaws were skillful in tanning skins so that 
the leather was soft and pliable. From the tanned 
hides of the moose, deer, beaver, and other animals 
they made their moccasins and the clothing which 
they used in winter. For sewing, they used an awl- 
like needle made either from the bone of a fish or 
from a small bone taken from the leg of a heron. 

In moving from place to place, the Indians often 
followed the rivers, and used the birch-bark canoe, 
or dugout, for this purpose. During the winter, 
when deep snows covered the ground, they bound 
snowshoes to their moccasins, and could travel as 
easily as in summer. The snowshoes were made 
of a light framework of ash, which was filled with 
meshes of rawhide, thus presenting a broad surface 
to the light snow. Besides spearing fish, they caught 
them with fishhooks made of bone and also with 
nets woven from the fibrous bark of the elm tree. 
They were skillful in constructing baskets, and some- 
times made fish traps of basket work, very similar 
to the lobster pots common at the seashore. The 
fish could swim into this trap, but found difficulty in 
getting out. 

Method of Making Fire. — The Indians produced fire 
in the following manner ; — they first took a dry stick 
about a foot long and an inch in diameter, and 



38 COLONIAL LIFE 

after flattening both sides, so that it was about a 
fourth of an inch thick, they carefully made a small 
depression on one of the flat sides, a quarter of an 
inch from the edge. Opposite this hole a nick was 
cut in the edge, and was connected with the depres- 
sion by a small groove. When these preparations 
were completed, the stick was placed on the ground 
and firmly held by the knees. Then a slender stick 
of soft wood, about the thickness of a pencil and from 
twelve to fourteen inches long, was rapidly twirled back 
and forth between the open palms in the small depres- 
sion. In a short time a fine dust was formed at the 
junction of the two sticks and, passing through the 
groove, fell in a little heap within the nick mentioned 
above. Soon the heat caused by the friction set fire 
to the dust, which was carefully yet quickly transmitted 
to such inflammable substances as mio^ht be near at 
hand. By this method they were able to produce fire 
in from one to three minutes. 

After the coming of the white men, the Indian 
became very improvident. The labor-saving devices 
which the English brought over, and which the 
Indians easily bought for skins, removed the necessity 
of working hard with flint tools in order to make the 
bow and arrow, the stone hatchet, and the kettle of 
clay. 

Indian Cunning. — An incident whicli occurred at 
Plymouth, New Hampshire, shows the cunning and 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 39 

forethought of the Indian. Captain Baker, with a 
small band of men from Northampton, Massachu- 
setts, had attacked and destroyed an Indian village at 
Plymouth. The Indians, however, were very numer- 
ous, and Baker retreated down the Connecticut as 
rapidly as possible, thinking that he would surely be 
followed and attacked. At the first halting place, 
where they prepared their supper, a friendly Indian, 
who was with the party, suggested to Baker that each 
man should build many fires and cut many sharpened 
sticks upon which to broil their meat. By this means 
the Indians, seeing a great many fires and sticks, would 
be deceived as to their numbers and would, perhaps, 
stop their pursuit. This idea was acted upon, and the 
pursuing Indians, coming upon so many camp fires, 
believed the whites too strong to be attacked and 
turned back, leaving Baker and his men to go to 
their homes unmolested. 

The different tribes often fought with each other, 
and in these quarrels they used the same stealthy 
methods of attack which they were accustomed to 
employ in hunting wild animals. They have some- 
times been called cow^ardly on account of their manner 
of fighting, when they were merely following their 
custom of being as economical of their lives as possi- 
ble. If they were beaten they never asked for 
quarter, and if they were captured they expected to be 
tortured by their enemies, and gloried in being able 



40 COLONIAL LIFE 

to bear the most cruel suffering without complaint. 
While they were being slowly killed, they often 
taunted their captors with a lack of skill in torturing 
them. 

The Indian's Idea of Land. — The Indian could form 
no idea of the individual ownership of land. He 
believed that, like the sea and air, it had been given 
for the use of all men, and he could not see how a 
man was able to really own any of the earth. To be 
sure, they had their tribal limits beyond which they 
could not hunt or fish, but the right to hunt belonged 
to the tribe as a whole and not to any individual. 
For this reason, they parted readily with their land to 
the white settlers for a small sum, but they did not 
think that by so doing they were actually selling the 
soil. This misunderstanding was the cause of trouble 
and bloodshed. If the whites had taken more pains to 
learn the habits of the Indians, much of the suffer- 
ing from the Indian wars mio;ht have been avoided. 
Among the few men who made a careful study of the 
Indian character was Eleazer Wheelock, the founder 
of Moor's Indian School, which later became Dart- 
mouth College. His efforts to Christianize and to help 
the Indian, and his marked success, afford a shining 
example of what might have been accomplished with 
the New Hampshire Indians. 

Little remains of the Red Men at the present 
time except a few flint arrowheads, fragments of their 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 41 

pottery, the Indian names of rivers, mountains, and 
towns, and here and there an old headstone in the 
corner of some forgotten cemetery, on which is in- 
scribed, " Killed by the Indians." 



42 COLONIAL LIFE 



CHAPTER III. 

CUSTOMS OF THE SETTLERS. 

Log Houses. — The houses of the early settlers, with 
their rough log walls and huge open fireplaces, make 
an interesting picture around which to group the 
more detailed life of this time. These log cabins 
were rectangular structures with openings cut through 
for window^s and doors. The well-trodden earth 
served as a floor, and the roof was of saplings covered 
with birch-bark. The chinks between the logs were 
packed with moss and clay, so that not even the 
coldest wind could beat through them. Above the 
main room was a garret made by laying a floor of 
poles on a level with the eaves. Here was the 
children's bedroom, and often on a winter's night the 
snow sifted through the cracks of the roof and covered 
them as they slept. 

A most important part of each cabin was its huge 
chimney, made of rough stones laid in clay. It is 
said that in those days the lightest part of the house 
was near the fireplace, for the chimney made such a 
large opening to the sky. Often the sides, projecting 
into the house, were made so roughly that they were 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, 43 

used by the children as a staircase on which to clamber 
up into the loft. 

The Open Fire. — The enormous fireplace consumed 
great quantities of wood, and it was no small matter 
to keep it supplied. To attend to the " working up " 
and bringing in of the day's wood was the business 
of the boys. Sometimes, when they had an unusually 
large " back log," they would fasten themselves to it 
by means of a harness, and, with a shout, all hands 
hauling together, the log, often six feet long, went 
bounding across the yard, through the door, and up 
to the fireplace, where it was rolled to the back, 
against the stones. Upon it was placed a smaller 
back stick, and in front rested the fore stick. When 
these were in position, the smaller wood was heaped 
upon the andirons before them. 

In starting the fire, a piece of steel was struck 
sharply against a bit of flint, and the sparks which 
were given off were caught upon tinder, — a piece of 
charred cloth. The spark was then carefully nursed 
into a flame by gently blowing upon it. In later 
years small sticks with both ends dipped in sulphur 
were used to assist in making a fire. When once 
lighted, it was supposed never to go out. During the 
night the father tried to " keep fire " by burying a 
hard wood brand in the ashes. If for any reason no 
live coals could be found in the morning, the boys 
were sent to the nearest neighbor to "borrow fire." 



44 COLONIAL LIFE 

In case there were no neighbors, the laborious process 
with the flint and steel had to be repeated. When 
it was fully started, a glorious blaze was the result. 
In the evening each crack and corner of the cabin 
was well lighted, and no more cheerful scene can be 
imagined than the family circle gathered about the 
fireplace, the grandfather seated in the high-backed 
settle, and the children in the chimney corner. 

Over the coals the women of the family did 
their cooking. The pots and kettles were suspended 
by a chain and hook, which hung from a wooden 
bar, placed across the chimney and high enough to 
be free from the danger of burning. Later, an iron 
crane was fastened on hinges at the side of the fire- 
place, by which the goodwife could more easily swing 
her pots and kettles on and off the blaze. 

Methods of Cooking. — The Dutch oven was the 
earliest form of a baking utensil. It was a shallow 
iron pan with a tightly fitting cover. When the 
bread had been placed within, it was put in the hot 
ashes and covered with Howino: coals. The more 
common method of baking was by means of stone 
ovens, made in the chimney at the side of the fire- 
place. On baking day, which was generally once 
a week, the oven was filled with hot coals, and 
after the sides had become thoroughly heated, they 
were raked out and the brown bread, beans, pies, and 
puddings were placed within. A door, usually of 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 45 

wood, was then set at the mouth of the oven and kept 
there until the food was cooked. 

The meats were always roasted before the open 
fire, either upon a spit, a long iron rod with a crank at 
one end, which rested on hooks placed in the and- 
irons, or by means of a hook and line. With the 
latter the meat was suspended before the fire, and by 
turning the piece round and round, the string was 
tightly twisted, and when left alone would slowly 
unwind, thus exposing every side of the meat to 
the heat. To see that this winding process continued, 
a small boy was chosen and was armed with a long 
stick to keep up the motion. Besides roast venison, 
bear meat, turkey, and other game, our forefathers' 
food consisted of beans, peas, squashes, pumpkins, and 
turnips. The cooking was of the simplest character, 
but their out-of-door life gave them excellent appe- 
tites, and an abundance was always provided. They 
were very hospitable people, and the stranger, as well 
as the neighbor, was always made welcome to a share 
in the dinner or supper, as the case might be. 

Coarsely ground Indian meal served as a basis 
for many dishes, and hominy formed a staple arti- 
cle for the evening meal. The early settlers were very 
fond of the dish called bean porridge. It was made 
by boiling beans with the liquor in which corned 
beef had been cooked. They believed that the longer 
the bean porridge was kept, the better it became. 



46 COLONIAL LIFE 

Oftentimes the goodman of the household, when com- 
pelled to make a journey in the winter, would be 
provided with a frozen cake of porridge, and from 
this, as hunger overtook him, he would break off and 
thaw out pieces for his luncheon. 

The method of cooking pumpkins was peculiar. 
Having selected one which was thoroughly ripe, a 
small hole was cut in the top and the seeds were 
removed ; after it had been well baked in the oven, 
the soft pulp on the inside was eaten with milk 
and considered a great delicacy. The outside shell, 
hardened by baking, was often used by the grand- 
mother for a workbasket. 

Bread was made of rye and Indian meal mixed, 
and resembled the brown bread of to-day. Our wheat 
bread was then unknown. 

Cooking Utensils. — The women took especial pride 
in keeping all of the copper and pewter cooking 
utensils scoured to a most remarkable brilliancy, 
especially the plates, platters, and porringers, which 
they kept for show on a set of shelves called a 
dresser. The everyday plates, made of wood, were 
usually square in shape, but it was no uncommon 
thing for the family to dispense with plates entirely, 
and to gather around and eat from the same kettle. 
Forks were unknown, and next to spoons, fingers 
were most often used. Spoons, like plates and ladles, 
were made from pewter, which is so soft that they 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 47 

had to be very thick and clumsy and were even then 
easily broken. 

Traveling Workmen. — Men used to travel from house 
to house with ladle and spoon moulds. They would 
melt up the broken and worn-out spoons and run 
them into moulds. When cool, the articles were as 
good as new. The shoemaker, in like manner, trav- 
eled from one family to another. With his hammer 
and waxed ends he made the outfit of boots for the 
entire household, the leather being provided by the 
father from the tanned skins of his own cattle. For 
the purpose of making leather, many tanneries were 
scattered about on the banks of the small streams. 

All clothing at this time was homespun, and it 
devolved upon the women of the household to card 
and spin the wool, which was then woven into cloth. 
In families where there were many children, the 
mother was often unable to provide more than one 
set of clothes apiece, and, as a result, when these 
needed washing, the children had to go to bed 
while it was done. The story is told of one eco- 
nomical goodwife that she made her boys wear 
their shirts part of the time with the back toward 
the front, so that there might be an equal wear on 
both sides. 

The knee breeches of the men were sometimes 
made from the dressed skins of the deer or sheep 
and were exceedingly durable, but were apt in wet 



48 COLONIAL LIFE 

weather to stretch, and impede the progress of the 
person wearing them. 

As may be judged, the women of these early days 
were compelled to be industrious. For a person to buy 
clothing was considered the height of extravagance. 
In every homestead were cards and a great wheel 
for spinning the woolen thread, also the little wheel 
with its reel and its swifts for the linen, while in every 
kitchen was placed the dye tub, in which the linen 
and the woolen cloth were colored. 

Process of Making Linen Cloth. — The Scotch-Irish 
were particularly skillful in raising flax and in weaving 
linen. Before they came to America, the linen cloth 
made in the colonies had been very coarse and 
rough, but they produced such fine goods that the 
linen of New Hampshire was famous throughout 
New England. 

It is interesting to note the methods used by our 
ancestors in the manufacture of linen. After the 
flax was pulled and the seeds threshed out, it was 
placed out of doors and exposed to the weather, in 
order that the woody part of the flax might become 
tender enough to separate easily from the fibres. 
In the month of March, after the snow had left, 
the flax was gathered into barns, and the softened 
woody part was removed by a process which was 
called breakino;. Afterwards, the flax was "swino^led." 
This was done by pounding it with a heavy wooden 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



49 



knife which served to separate the fine fibres from 
the coarser tow. It was then combed, that is, it 
was drawn over a rough, iron-toothed comb again 
and again, which drew out all the imperfect fibres 
from the flax, when it was ready for the distaff and 
the spinning wheel. 

Maple Sugar Making. — In the early spring, before 
the snow had gone, and just as the buds were begin- 






I 





Maple Sugar Camp. 

(From an old print.) 



ning to swell on the maples, the men and boys would 
journey to the mountain sides, where rock maple trees 
were plentiful, and there make a sugar camp. They 



\ 



50 COLONIAL LIFE 

first went about from tree to tree, and, while one with a 
sharp axe cut through the bark, in which he put a chip 
for the sap to run out on, the other placed the wooden 
troughs beneath, in which the "sweet water" slowly 
accumulated. After it was gathered, the sap was placed 
in a huge kettle and suspended over the fire in such 
a way that it could be easily swung off the blaze when 
required. Made thus in the open air, the cinders and 
sparks fell into the syrup and rendered it rather dark 
colored, but, nevertheless, to the children maple sugar 
meant all that was good and sweet. 

When almost boiled down to sugar, a little of the 
hot, thick syrup was taken from the kettle and spread 
on pans of snow ; the "maple wax" thus formed made 
most delicious candy not only for the children, but 
for the older people as well. The Indians taught 
the settlers the uses of maple sugar, and it makes 
one other Q-ood thino^ which we have received from 
them. 

Hunting and Trapping. — During the winter, when 
there was little work about the house, the older boys 
generally spent their time in hunting and trapping. 
The woods and streams abounded in fur-bearing ani- 
mals, and their skins, being highly prized by ladies 
in England, were easily exchanged for powder, lead, 
tea, and other things which the settler could not pro- 
duce. Steel traps were unknown, and they used the 
Indian device called figure four traps. The black 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 51 

bears, which were very troublesome through their 
fondness for corn, were caught in what were known 
as " dead falls." The trapper first felled a good-sized 
tree along the base of which a semicircle of stout 
stakes was driven into the ground. The butt of the 
tree was then raised and a figure four trap was put in 
the semicircle of stakes, baited with a piece of fresh 
meat. When the bear went in to eat the bait, the 
tree trunk fell, breaking his back. 

Means of Exchange. — Money was very scarce, and 
men had to barter or exchange things of which they 
had an abundance for those which they needed. The 
Indians, with their flint tools, laboriously cut out from 
the curly part of shells, or from the dark spots in 
clam shells, beads an eighth of an inch through and 
a cjuarter of an inch long, which they called wampum. 
To the Indians they represented a great deal of pains- 
taking work and were highly valued. There were 
two kinds, the white and the black, and one black bead 
was worth two white ones. The beads were strung 
on threads of buckskin, and the Indians adorned 
themselves with belts made from several of these 
strino^s bound toQ;ether. The Dutch in New Amster- 
dam first thought of using wampum for money, and 
the idea spread until it was used all over New 
England. 

Founding a Home. — It was often difficult for a 
young man with very little money to purchase land in 



52 COLONIAL LIFE 

the older settlements and to make a home for himself, 
so it became necessary for him to start out into the 
wilderness, where the land was unclaimed. Usually 
three or four men banded together, and with their 
axes, guns, and a little corn meal went into the 
pathless forest, "blazing" the trees along their way. 
When they came to a piece of land which they thought 
suitable for making a home, a rough cabin was built 
for a temporary shelter, and then each cleared the 
land set apart for himself. They were all skillful axe- 
men, these young settlers, for, in those days, all the 
firewood of the house was " got up " and split by the 
boys ; the constant practice made their arms strong 
and their eyes true, so that, in what would seem a 
very short time, they could clear off the trees from 
enough ground for the support of their families. 

In clearing the forest they did not, as one might 
suppose, chop every tree entirely off, but, having found 
a number of trees in a line, they partly chopped each 
one, and then felled a large tree on the end of the 
line and let it fall against the second to knock it 
down. The second brought down the third, the third 
the next one, and so on, until, with a noise and crack- 
ing like thunder, the entire line came crashing to the 
earth. 

As there were no good roads to the harbor, the 
trees were worth nothing for lumber, so that every 
effort was made to get rid of them as fast as possible. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 53 

This was done by burning. The young men, after 
clearing sufficient land, would return to their homes 
and wait patiently until the hot summer sun should 
dry the sap in the felled trees, so that they could have 
a burn, as it was called. When the wind and the 
weather were favorable, they set fire to the fallen 
trees, and with a tremendous whirlinor and rush- 
ing sound the giants of the forest passed off in fire 
and smoke, leaving only their ashes behind. These 
ashes were of importance to the settlers, as they were 
exceedingly valuable for enriching the soil. Great 
crops of pumpkins and of corn could be raised from 
the little patches among the half-burned stumps 
and logs. 

When the land was cleared, each of the young men 
made a cabin on his own share and then went 
back to the settlement and brought his wife to live 
with him in his new home. Often there was no road 
to their farms, and they had simply blazed trees to 
follow. The corn had to be carried to mill many 
miles over such rough paths, either on a man's back 
or on a horse. 

Mills for Grinding Corn. — One of the first things 
that the settlers did was to construct grist mills for 
grinding corn and grain. They built the mill beside 
a swiftly running brook, for the falling water furnished 
the power to turn the wheel. The dam was built as 
it would be now, only more simply. Under the dam. 



54 COLONIAL LIFE 

where the water falls over, a huge wheel was placed 
with buckets on its rim. As the buckets filled at the 
top, the weight of the water carried the wheel around, 
which was made to turn two large flat stones, one 
upon the other. The corn, or grain, sifted down 
between these stones and was ground into meal. It 
took longer to grind the grain than it does now, and 
the meal was much coarser. The miller was paid for 
his labor by receiving a certain portion of the corn, 
or, perhaps, by the skins of the beaver or the otter 
which the settler had trapped during the winter. 

Trials of Strength and Skill. — It was customary at 
the raising and moving of buildings, at town meet- 
ings, and at other Qratherins^s where lars^e bodies of 
men met together, to have trials of strength and skill. 
Lifting heavy weights, pitching quoits, throwing iron 
bars, pulling sticks, and wrestling were taken part in 
and enjoyed by every one. Wrestling, which might 
be termed the typical sport of our forefathers, was 
always sharply contested by the men and boys. 
Usually the boys started the contest, and each defeated 
party brought in his champion to meet the victor. 
Thus the match went on, until the boys' places were 
gradually taken by men. The one who threw his 
man in the last encounter was said to have " carried 
the rinor." All men distiuQ-uished in wrestlinor were 

O <J C5 

known not only by their own townspeople, but often 
their reputation spread through the neighboring vil- 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 5 5 

lages. It was customary for these champions to travel 
many miles for a trial of skill. 

The following anecdote from the " History of Man- 
chester " is characteristic of the times. A person 
called at the house of John McNeil of Londonderry, 
having heard of his strength and skill as a wrestler. 
McNeil, however, was away from home. The stranger 
informed Mrs. McNeil that he regretted this exceed- 
ingly, as he had traveled a long distance for no other 
purpose than to " throw him." 

"An' troth, mon," said Mrs. McNeil, "Johnnie is 
gone, but I 'm not the woman to see you disappointed. 
An' I think if ye '11 try, mon, I '11 throw ye meself." 

The stranger, not liking to be made fun of by a 
woman, accepted the challenge, but no sooner had 
they taken hold when, by a deft " trip and twitch," the 
man's heels flew up, and his back was laid squarely 
on the ground. Upon arising, he decided not to 
wait for Johnnie, and, in fact, did not even leave 

his name. 

Shipbuilding and Commerce. — One of the important 
resources which helped in developing our state was the 
great quantity of codfish off the coast. The colonists 
soon built boats from their lumber, and spent much 
time in fishing. The fish was dried, salted, and 
shipped to foreign countries, where it was in constant 
demand. Thus a profitable commerce grew very 
rapidly. 



56 COLONIAL LIFE 

Shipbuilders soon came from England who taught 
the settlers how to build boats. They were usu- 
ally two-masted vessels, called " ketches," and very 
few of them were over a hundred tons burden. 
Loaded with staves for making wine barrels, and 
with salt fish, they were sent to Barbadoes, in 
the West Indies, where the cargo was exchanged 
for cotton cloth, sugar, molasses, rum, indigo, salt» 
and sometimes negro slaves ; often they went to 
Italy, Spain, or Portugal and brought back oil and 
wine. 

Little coasting vessels, manned only by a " captain " 
and an apprentice boy, traded between Piscataqua 
(Portsmouth), Boston, Plymouth, and other New Eng- 
land towns, and even sailed as far as New Am- 
sterdam and Virginia for tobacco. Each sailor on 
these trips usually owned a small portion of freight, 
the profit from which " venture " belonged to him, after 
he had paid a certain sum for the transportation ; 
this practice helped to interest the men in the 
success of the voyage. Gradually the vessels were 
increased in size and number. At one time Ports- 
mouth had over two hundred boats of two or three 
hundred tons burden. 

While the colonists were paying so much attention 
to ocean traffic, they did not neglect their inland trade, 
but built roads between, the settlements, bridged the 
streams, and established taverns at convenient dis- 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 57 

tances. Travel along these roads was almost entirely 
on horseback. 

Early Schools. — The New Hampshire people have 
always taken great pride in education. One of the 
first buildings put up in a town, after the meeting- 
house was completed, was a log schoolhouse. In 
1647 a law was passed requiring that a school should 
be kept in every town of fifty householders. The 
teacher, usually a man, was given about fifty dollars 
a year for his services. 

Alono- three sides of these first schoolrooms were 
placed slabs upon which the older pupils wrote and 
worked their sums. The slabs were fastened by one 
edo-e to the walls of the building, the other edge being 
supported by legs driven securely into auger holes m 
the floor. For seats, hewn planks were used into 
which stakes were driven. Inside of this outer circle 
were seats for the younger children. This arrange- 
ment made it necessary for the pupils to sit facing 
the walls with their backs toward the teacher. In 
the center of the room was placed the master's 
desk, and from his throne he watched with eagle 
eye the work of the youths under his charge. One 
may easily appreciate the feelings of the mischievous 
boys, who, with their backs toward the teacher, were 
never certain when he was not looking at them. 
This feeling of insecurity must have been heightened 
by the knowledge that there lay on the desk a hickory 



58 COLONIAL LIFE 

switch long enough to reach every boy in the room, 
and that, too, without the master leaving his chair. 

On the third side of the schoolroom was the huge 
fireplace with large, flat stones for andirons. Inas- 
much as the chimney was never very high, and as 
green w^ood was burned, oftentimes the first part of the 
morninof exercises was conducted in a cloud of smoke. 
The building of the fire was allotted to the older boys, 
who took turns in attending to this duty, as well as to 
the splitting of the wood. The older girls kept the 
room swept and cleaned. The windows were placed 
high, so that the attention of the children should not 
be distracted by outside affairs. 

To schools of this description our ancestors trudged. 
Fortunate were those who lived near. Many, however, 
were compelled to walk several miles after having 
helped their fathers with the chores, or their mothers 
with the household duties. 

The Meeting-House and Pound. — Near the meeting- 
house was stationed the pound, a stone enclosure 
where stray cattle were kept and from which they 
could not be claimed until a small fine was paid 
by the owner. Often the sexton of the church was 
appointed pound-keeper in order that the fees of the 
one might supplement the pay of the other. The 
meeting-houses were usually large, barn-like struc- 
tures and without the steeple so characteristic at the 
present time. The pews were high, square boxes, 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 59 

with cushionless seats, on which the small boys sat 
and squirmed during sermons seldom less than two 
hours long. 

Directly in front of the high pulpit with its over- 
hanging sounding-board was a broad bench known as 
the deacons' seat. The aged deacons were accus- 
tomed to protect their heads from drafts by wearing 
bright colored flannel caps ; and sitting in full gaze 
of the congregation, they presented a most imposing 
and venerable appearance. It was their duty to " line 
the hymn " which they did by reading tw^o lines of a 
stanza, after which the congregation joined them in 
singing the same. Then two more lines were read 
and sung in like manner, and this was continued to 
the end of the hymn. 

Stoves were unknown in these old meeting-houses, 
and even in midwinter the congregation sat and 
shivered through the long sermons and prayers. 
However, an exception was made of the older women 
who brought small foot-stoves of perforated sheet- 
iron in which were placed pans of glowing coals. 
Often when they lived at a distance, they filled their 
pans at some of the neighboring houses. 

Duties of the Tithing-Man. — An official whose duties 
would be considered strange at the present day was 
the tithing-man. It was his place to see that the 
Sabbath was respected by all people; that on that day 
there should be no work, travel or amusements of any 



6o 



COLONIAL LIFE 



kind, no loafing around the tavern or other unseemly 
conduct. On Sunday, while service was being held, 
he was provided with a "black staff ten feet in length, 
tipped at one end with brass or with pewter" and 

armed with this im- 
plement, he quietly 
touched a slumber- 
ing elder or punched 
a mischievous boy. 

Everybody was 
supposed to attend 
meeting. The good- 
man and goodwife 
usually rode on 
horseback, the wife 
seated behind her 
husband on a " pil- 
lion," while the chil- 
dren trudged " across 



lots " on foot. An 
example of thrift 
may be learned from 
the fact that the boys and girls, during the summer 
months, always walked to church, barefooted, with 
their shoes and stockings under their arms. These 
were put on before entering the building, and were 
always carefully removed after the services were 
ended. 




The Sullivan Slave House. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 6l 

The Keeping of Slaves. — Several of the old New 
Hampshire families kept African or Indian slaves 
and many vessels were engaged in the slave trade. 
A cargo of rum and of iron bars was often shipped to 
Africa and exchanged for negroes, who were taken 
to Barbadoes and sold. The vessel returned laden 
with molasses to be made into rum with which to 
purchase more slaves. Some of the negroes were 
brought home and sold in the market like cattle ; how- 
ever, slaves were not kept to any great extent in New 
Hampshire. 

Serving an Apprenticeship. — The tradesmen were 
organized into guilds, or unions, and had very strict 
rules about admitting a new member. If a boy 
wanted to learn the trade of a carpenter, blacksmith, 
ship-builder, or sailor, he had to be bound out as an 
apprentice to a master mechanic, sometimes for seven 
years. During this time he was virtually owned by 
his master and had to work hard in return for his 
teaching and for his board and clothes. 

The King's Trees. — The white pine trees growing 
in New England were very valuable as masts for the 
navy, and it was largely on this account that Britain 
became so great a naval power. Every large pine 
tree was marked with the king's arrow to be used for 
masts in the royal fleet and a tree thirty-five inches 
throuo^h was worth five hundred dollars. 

These mast trees were often over a hundred feet 



62 COLONIAL LIFE 

high, and it was difficult to fell them without breaking 
or cracking. Smaller trees were cut and laid in the 
path which the large one was to take when it went 
over, in order to break the force of the blow. Then 
the branches were lopped off and about two hundred 
oxen were used to draw or " twitch " it to the river 
bank. It was very hard to get so many animals 
started together, and when the log finally began to 
move they were not allowed to stop ; if an ox fell, he 
was cut loose and another was put in his place with- 
out stopping the team. 

Piscataqua (Portsmouth) was the headquarters for 
this trade until 1727. In 1665 as many as seven or 
eight ships at a time were loading masts in the 
harbor, and when the trade was at its height, Piscata- 
qua owned two hundred mast ships. They went so 
often and so regularly that the mail was sent by them. 

The pine and fir trees also supplied material from 
which the colonists made the best of tar, pitch, tur- 
pentine and resin. 

Improved Methods of Building. — All this trading 
made the colonists richer, and the enterprising men 
were able to build more comfortable houses than here- 
tofore. They were built of bricks laid in clay, and 
with a coat of smoothed clay plastered on the inside 
of the walls. The outside was then covered with 
narrow boards called " clayboards," which word was 
afterwards changed to "clapboards." Later, a frame 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



^Z 



was made of heavy timbers covered on the outside 
with clapboards and plastered on the inside, much as 
houses are built now. The lime for the plastering 
was made by burning sea shells. The colonists were 
also able to have glass in their windows, as they 




A Kitchen Fireplace. 



could import it in exchange for their goods, or obtain 
it from Massachusetts, where there was a glass fac- 
tory. The first glass was diamond shaped and each 
pane was very small and was set in lead, just as those 
of our stained glass windows are at the present time. 
The first floor of the better class of houses had a 
large " keeping-room " or parlor, which was used only 



64 COLONIAL LIFE 

on great occasions. Then there was a kitchen, often 
twenty feet square, a bedroom, a cheese room and a 
butter room. A large brick chimney went up through 
the middle of the house with a great open fireplace 
in each of the main rooms and with closets in the 
space on either side. " The kitchens of the period 
were the true home centers and the best of New 
England life gathered around the chimney and the 
hearthstone." 

As night drew on, and, from the crest 
Of wooded knolls that ridged the west, 
The sun, a snow-blown traveller, sank 
From sight beneath the smothering bank, 
We piled with care our nightly stack 
Of wood against the chimney-back, — 
The oaken log, green, huge and thick. 
And on its top the stout backstick ; 
The knotty forestick laid apart. 
And filled between with curious art 
The ragged brush ; then, hovering near, 
We watched the first red blaze appear. 
Heard the sharp crackle, caught the gleam 
On whitewashed wall and sagging beam, 
Until the old, rude-furnished room 
Burst, flower-like, into rosy bloom : 
While radiant with a mimic flame 
Outside the sparkling drift became, 
And through the bare-boughed lilac-tree 
Our own warm hearth seemed blazinir free. 
The crane and pendent trammels showed. 
The Turk's heads on the andirons glowed. 

John G. Whittier, " Snow-Bound." 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 65 



CHAPTER IV. 

POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE COLONY. 

It is probable that the first settlements near the 
present sites of Portsmouth and Dover had a certain 
form of government as early as 1633, but the first 
written constitutions were adopted by the infant 
settlement in 1638 and 1639. 

The officers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony were 
anxious to extend their possessions and inasmuch as 
their charter gave them the right to the land three 
miles north of the Merrimac River, they, with great 
ingenuity, sought to construe this clause as meaning 
three miles north of the source of the Merrimac, which 
would give them a goodly territory overlapping New 
Hampshire settlements and a part of Maine. With 
the end in view of supporting this claim, in 1631, 
Governor John Winthrop of Massachusetts sent Cap- 
tain Thomas Wiggin to exercise control over the 
settlements on the Piscataqua. A collision naturally 
occurred between Captain Walter Neale, who repre- 
sented the Piscataqua settlements, and Captain Wig- 
gin. Neale dared Wiggin to step foot on a certain 
point of land half way between Dover and Exeter; 
while Wiggin proposed to defend his right by the 
sword. The quarrel terminated, however, without 



66 COLONIAL LIFE 

bloodshed, but in lieu of what might have been, this 
place was always known as Bloody Point and is called 
so to this day. 

Despairing of obtaining a foothold by force, Wig- 
gin, the next year, purchased the entire Hilton grant 
for about ten thousand dollars. As soon as he entered 
into possession of the Hilton patent, Wiggin endeav- 
ored to place it under the control of Massachusetts, 
but he was decidedly opposed in this endeavor by 
the original settlers, since they feared for the titles to 
their lands under Massachusetts jurisdiction. In 1640, 
when the settlers began to feel the need of the pro- 
tection of a stronger state, and as Massachusetts 
promised them all the liberties which they had pre- 
viously enjoyed, the opposition was overcome, and in 
1 64 1 the entire Piscataqua region passed into the 
control of Massachusetts. 

It cannot be said that this union was perfectly satis- 
factory to the settlers of New Hampshire, and there 
was constant strife between the " Churchmen " of the 
settlements along the Piscataqua and the Puritans 
of Massachusetts Bay. Soon after the annexation, a 
number of the Puritans came to this section and by 
the aid of Massachusetts of^licials seized all the places 
of power and secured for themselves most of the 
unoccupied lands, causing the original planters to 
become more and more angry at their intrusion. As 
a result, two open rebellions occurred in attempting to 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 6/ 

withdraw from the union with Massachusetts, one in 
1 65 1, the other in 1664, but neither of them met with 
success. The union continued until 1679, when 
Massachusetts' control over Piscataqua was ended by 
the making of New Hampshire into a royal province. 

New Hampshire a Royal Province. — The king ap- 
pointed John Cutt president of the colony and insti- 
tuted a council composed of prominent settlers of 
New Hampshire. Before this time Robert Mason 
had made such vigorous efforts to place before James 
n the Masonian claim to this territory that the king 
now appointed him to a seat in the New Hampshire 
Assembly. Shortly after, Mason, armed with a war- 
rant and the king's favor, came to New Hampshire 
and tried to compel the settlers to purchase of him a 
lease for their lands. 

In this, however, he was opposed by the president 
and the assembly. Finding his efforts unavailing with 
the present form of government, he returned to Eng- 
land, and, by promises, obtained the appointment of 
Edward Cranfield as commander-in-chief of New 
Hampshire. Cranfield was induced to take this office 
only upon Mason's guarantee that his salary should 

be paid. 

Cranfield as Governor (1682). —Cranfield came from 
England with full power, and in a short time all 
officers of the state who were opposed to Mason were 
removed and others appointed in their stead. This, 



68 COLONIAL LIFE 

however, worked very little to either Mason's or Cran- 
field's advantage, for while they tried and condemned 
the settlers who would not take out leases of them, yet 
the force of public opinion was against them to such 
an extent, that they found it impossible to enforce the 
decrees of the court. The settlers continued to live 
on their lands, in spite of the officers and without 
takino[ leases from Mason. 

Cranfield resorted to every expedient to raise money 
but was met with the most stubborn resistance by the 
colonists. Finally the people became so angry at his 
tyranny that they sent complaints to England which 
resulted in Cranfield's withdrawal in 1685. This left 
his lieutenant-governor, Barefoot, in control. 

Barefoot' s Trouble with Citizens. — Barefoot was not 
an improvement over his predecessor and used every 
means in his power to annoy the colonists. During 
his short stay an incident occurred which shows the 
contempt with which the government was held by the 
settlers. Thomas Wiggin and Anthony Nutter, who 
had formerly been members of the assembly, called 
one day at the house of Barefoot to remonstrate with 
him concerning the injustice of his proceedings. 
Mason, who was his guest at the time, was also pres- 
ent. During the discussion, the visitors told Mason 
very plainly and forcibly that his claim to the land 
amounted to nothing. This so enraged him that he 
took hold of Wiggin to force him from the house. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 69 

Wio'o'in, who was a powerful man, seized Mason by 
the collar and threw him with great violence across 
the room and into the fireplace, where his clothing 
and legs were severely burned. Barefoot upon com- 
ine to his assistance was treated even more severely. 
Several of his teeth were knocked out and two of his 
ribs were broken. Mason meantime called loudly 
upon his servants to bring his sword, but upon its 
being brought, Nutter quickly took it from him, and 
mocked the discomfiture of the highest officer of the 
state. Barefoot was followed by President Joseph 
Dudley, who in a few months was relieved of his 
command. 

New Hampshire tinder Andros. — In 1686, the gov- 
ernment of all New England was given to Andros, 
who won the reputation of being its greatest tyrant. 
All the power which he possessed was used to obtain 
money from the settlers. Upon the overthrow of King 
James of England, Andros was captured and sent to 
England as a prisoner of state. 

New Hampshire without a Government. — For eleven 
months after the removal of Andros the colony 
remained without a government, when the settlers, 
realizing the need of a united force in meeting the 
attacks of the French and Indians, sent delegates 
from Dover, Exeter, Hampton and Portsmouth to 
draw up a constitution; but the 'town of Hampton 
refused to comply with its provisions and, as a result, 



70 COLONIAL LIFE 

it was without effect. Thereupon, the party which had 
always desired to be reannexed to Massachusetts, sent 
a petition to that colony asking for its aid and protec- 
tion. The petition was granted and New Hampshire 
was restored to its former relations with Massachusetts. 

Governor Allen. — This union remained until Samuel 
Allen, who had purchased Mason's claim, obtained 
from the king a commission as governor of New 
Hampshire in August, 1692. John Usher was ap- 
pointed lieutenant-governor to look after Allen's 
interests during his absence. 

The people distrusted Usher exceedingly, not only 
because he represented Allen's title, but because he 
had been a follower of the tyrant Andros. Usher 
was a merchant of Boston, a man of little education, 
but with a firm idea of his own importance. During 
his governorship there was a great deal of trouble 
with the Indians and he seems to have done every- 
thing in his power to help the settlers. They re- 
spected him for this and felt kindly toward him, but 
steadily resisted all his attempts to have them take 
out leases of their lands. 

William Partridge, a well-known shipbuilder of 
Portsmouth, went to England and succeeded in being 
appointed lieutenant-governor in place of Usher. 
Partridge was particularly friendly toward the settlers, 
and during his short stay in the governor's chair the 
affairs of the colony were orderly and quiet. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 71 

Earl of Belmont — Joseph Dudley — Elseus Burgess — 
Samuel Shute — William Burnet. — The Earl of Bel- 
mont was next in charge of the state, and of the 
other British colonies. He was well received by 
the people and formed an excellent impression of the 
New Hampshire colony. Upon the Earl's death, 
Queen Anne appointed Joseph Dudley governor of 
both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Elseus 
Burgess was appointed governor by George I, but 
did not come in person to administer the affairs of 
the colony during the year in which he held the 
office. He was followed by Samuel Shute, an able 
official, who was well assisted by his lieutenant, John 
Wentworth. The latter acted as governor during 
Shute's absence, and, through his diligence and 
thoughtfulness for the people's welfare, he became 
much respected. William Burnet acted as governor 
for one year, his administration terminating with his 
death in 1729. 

Jonathan Belcher, Conflict with Massachusetts over 
Boundary. — Jonathan Belcher, who was the next 
governor, was a merchant of great wealth and of 
sterling character. During Belcher's administration, 
there was a long controversy between New Hamp- 
shire and Massachusetts in regard to the boundary 
line. While it was in dispute, a meeting was held 
between the legislatures of the two governments at 
Hampton Falls, with the hope that some agreement 



72 



COLONIAL LIFE 



might be settled upon, but as is usual in such cases 
the parties were further apart at the close of the 
discussion than they were at the beginning. The 
question was finally decided in favor of New Hamp- 
shire, and several towns settled by Massachusetts 
people became a part of this state. 

Benning Wentworth. — Benning Wentworth, son of 
John Wentworth, succeeded Belcher. He was well 



?-Taa-sigrTr7T7-'-asBTasga»?^%g«gJsi^ai ^^ 







The Wentworth Mansion. 



received, and voted a regular salary, and he obtained, 
by purchase, the office and title of Surveyor of the 
King's Woods. During the French and Indian War 
he took excellent care of his soldiers and received 
their hearty support. 

Wentworth was very much of an aristocrat, and 
was fond of doing things in a royal manner. He 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 73 

boasted of the finest wine cellar in the colonies, had 
a bodyguard, and always traveled in state. After the 
death of his first wife, he desired to marry a young 
lady of Portsmouth, but much to his surprise and 
chagrin, she refused to become Lady Wentworth, 
preferring to marry a younger man. Wentworth, out 
of revenge for this slight, had her bridegroom seized 
by a pressgang and carried off to sea just before the 
time appointed for the marriage. 

Afterwards the governor married a young girl 
beneath him in station. The way in which the 
wedding was brought about shows clearly his irascible 
temper. It occurred during a state dinner at the 
Wentworth mansion, at which many noted men were 
present, and among them a clergyman. When the 
guests were seated at the table, the governor intro- 
duced the future Lady Wentworth, and requested 
the clergyman to marry them. Upon his hesitating, 
Wentworth was much enraged and ordered him to 
perform the ceremony instantly. The frightened 
minister could only comply and he stammered out 
the marriao-e service. The misalliance was a great 
blow, not only to Wentworth's family, but also to 
the exclusive people of the colony. 

Longfellow has made this incident of New Hamp- 
shire history the subject of one of his most graceful 
poems, — "Lady Wentworth." 



74 



COLONIAL LIFE 



He gave a splendid banquet, served on plate, 
Such as became the Governor of the State, 
Who represented England and the King, 
And was magnificent in everything. 




Fireplace in Wentworth Mansion. 



He had invited all his friends and peers, — 
The Pepperels, the Langdons, and the Lears, 
The Sparhawks, the Penhallows, and the rest ; 
For why repeat the name of every guest .'* 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 75 

But I must mention one in bands and gown, 
The rector there, the Reverend Arthur Brown 
Of the Established Church ; with smiUng face 
He sat beside the Governor and said grace. 

• •••••••a. 

When they had drunk the King, with many a cheer. 
The Governor whispered in a servant's ear, 
Who disappeared, and presently there stood 
Within the room, in perfect womanhood, 
A maiden, modest and yet self-possessed. 
Youthful and beautiful, and simply dressed. 
Can this be Martha Hilton } 

• ••«•••••« 

Yet scarce a guest perceived that she was there. 
Until the Governor, rising from his chair. 
Played slightly with his ruffles, then looked down, 
And said unto the Reverend Arthur Brown : 
" This is my birthday : it shall likewise be 
My wedding-day ; and you shall marry me ! " 

The listening guests were greatly mystified. 

None more so than the rector, who replied : 

" Marry you ? Yes, that were a pleasant task. 

Your Excellency ; but to whom ? I ask." 

The Governor answered, " To this lady here ; " 

And beckoned Martha Hilton to draw near. 

She came and stood, all blushes, at his side. 

The rector paused. The impatient Governor cried : 

" This is the lady ; do you hesitate ? 

Then I command you as Chief Magistrate." 

The rector read the service loud and clear : 

'' Dearly beloved, we are gathered here," 



7^ 



COLONIAL LIFE 



And so on to the end. At his command 

On the fourth finger of her fair left hand 

The Governor placed the ring ; and that was all : 

Martha was Lady Wentworth of the Hall ! 

The governor's hasty temper and haughty ways of 
deahng with the people made him so unpopular that 
he was finally compelled to resign in favor of John 
Wentworth, his nephew. 

Able Administration of John Wentworth (1767).— 
John Wentworth II, the last, as well as the most 

respected of New Hamp- 
shire's colonial governors, 
began in the best way pos- 
sible to obtain the good- 
will of his people. He 
took a strong interest in 
all the common affairs of 
the province, was active in 
agriculture, surveyed the 
forests, laid out new roads, 
and stimulated activity 
and thrift among the peo- 
ple. He was a patron of 
the arts, and also of edu- 
cation. It was due to his 
efforts that Dartmouth College was begun with such 
favorable conditions, and under his jurisdiction the 
state was divided into counties, which was a great 




Governor John Wentworth. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. JJ 

convenience for those persons living in the western 
and northern parts of the state, since the county 
courts were able to settle disputes which formerly 
could be decided only by those at Portsmouth. The 
abolition of paper money was also a distinguishing 
mark of John Wentworth's administration. Silver 
and gold were gradually introduced and paper money 
was called in through the taxes, which placed the 
currency upon a solid basis, and obviated difficulties 
of trade. 

Even after the battles of Lexington and Concord, 
Governor Wentworth seemed to believe that there 
was still hope of peace. At the general meeting of 
the council at Exeter, three members, favorable to 
England, were expelled from that body. One of them 
expressing himself too freely was assaulted by the 
enraged people, and he finally took refuge in the Went- 
worth mansion at Portsmouth. The people, aroused 
by the action, brought up a cannon and placed it in 
front of the house, at which they threatened to fire 
unless the man was surrendered to them. The gov- 
ernor, frightened at this demonstration, gave up the 
offender, who was taken to Exeter. As the king's 
representative, Wentworth felt so insulted by this 
action that he withdrew from the house and moved to 
the fort in the harbor. From here he went to Boston, 
to return but once again to New Hampshire, and then 
only for a day. 



yS COLONIAL LIFE 

Forming of the Provincial Congress. — During the 
last part of Wentworth's administration, the assem- 
bhes, which were made up of delegates chosen by the 
people, had gradually withdrawn their support from 
the King. Their discontent reached its height in 
July, 1774, when there assembled in Exeter the first 
provincial congress. From this time to December, 
1775, the people elected five congresses, and the 
fifth congress adopted a form of government which 
lasted throughout the war. In June, 1784, a new 
constitution was made which has remained practically 
unchanged to the present time. 

During this formative period the name and influ- 
ence of Meshech Weare of Hampton Falls was most 
prominent. He was a delegate to the five provincial 
congresses and for many years was president of the 
council and chairman of the committee of safety, 
which had charge of the affairs of the state when 
the council was not in session. Upon the adoption 
of the constitution he was unanimously elected the 
first governor of New Hampshire and held this office 
until his death in 1786. Meshech Weare was a man 
of sterling honesty and one who left his impress upon 
the form and character of the government. 




X 



3 
O 

s 

U 

a 
Q 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 79 



CHAPTER V. 

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE. 

Dartmouth College had its beginning as a school 
for Indian youths, which was founded in 1755 at 
Lebanon, Connecticut, and was called " Moor's Indian 
Charity School" after its earliest patron, Colonel 
Joshua Moor, a wealthy farmer of Mansfield, Connec- 
ticut. For a time, only Indians were admitted as 
students, but later, English boys were taught with 
the understanding that upon graduation they were 
to become missionaries to the various Indian tribes. 
They met with such marked success that the numbers 
at the school steadily increased, so that in 1770 there 
were enrolled sixteen English boys and only three 
Indians. 

Dr. Eleazer Wheelock was the founder of the 
Indian school, and it was due entirely to him that the 
institution enlarged its field and became Dartmouth 
College. In 1765 Dr. Wheelock sent to England 
one of his graduates named Occum, who was a 
full-blooded Indian, in order to show what might be 
accomplished in the education of the " Red Men." 
Cecum's visit proved a remarkable success. He was 
received among the nobility and he created quite an 



8o COLONIAL LIFE 

excitement at London. He preached to immense 
congregations in England, Scotland and Ireland, and 
succeeded in raising funds to the amount of eleven 
thousand pounds for Wheelock's school in America, 
even King George giving two hundred pounds. 

In 1770 Governor Wentworth, who for many years 
had been interested in the education of the Indians, 
voluntarily offered to Dr. Wheelock a large tract of 
land on the Connecticut River for the purpose of 
founding a college, and promised a most liberal 
charter for the institution. Wheelock accepted the 
proposition and went in person, in August of the 
same year, to superintend the work of preparing the 
buildings. The place selected for the college was a 
hundred feet above the level of the river and covered 
with an immense growth of pine trees, one of which, 
measured by Dr. McClure, w^as said to be two hundred 
seventy feet from base to top; in fact after the first 
six acres had been cleared, the surrounding forest was 
so high that the sun's rays did not strike into the 
clearing until late in the forenoon. 

The workmen first built a temporary log cabin in 
which to live while the dormitory and the president's 
house were in process of construction. Before they 
were completed, the president's family with about 
thirty students arrived, having traveled over almost 
impassable roads and endured many hardships. What 
followed upon their arrival had best be told in Presi- 




Eleazer Wheelock. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 8l 

dent Wheelock's own words : " The message I sent 
to my family proved not seasonable to prevent their 
setting out, and they arrived with nearly thirty stu- 
dents. I housed my stuff with my wife and the 
females of my family in my hut. My sons and stu- 
dents made booths and beds of hemlock boughs, and 
in this situation we continued for about a month till 
the twenty-ninth day of October, when I removed with 
my family into my house, and though the season had 
been cold with storms of rain and snow, two sawmills 
failed on which I had chief dependence for boards, 
etc., and by series of other trying disappointments, yet 
by the pure mercy of God the same changed for the 
better in every respect, the weather continued favora- 
ble, new resources for the supply of boards were found 
till my house was made warm and comfortable, a 
schoolhouse built, and so many rooms in the college 
made quite comfortable as were sufficient for the 
students that were with me in which they find the 
pleasure of such solitude. And since the settlement 
of the affair, all, without exception, are sufficiently 
engaged in their studies." 

Work upon the present Dartmouth Hall was begun 
in the summer of 1774, but it was not ready for use 
until 1 79 1, as many difficulties in raising sufficient 
funds were encountered. 

The first commencement was held August 28, 
1 77 1. Besides the trustees of the college. Governor 



82 COLONIAL LIFE 

Wentworth and a number of gentlemen from Ports- 
mouth were present. In order that the journey might 
be made in a manner suitable to the dignity of a royal 
governor, Wentworth caused a road to be made from 
Portsmouth to Hanover, a distance of over one hun- 
dred miles, extending for the most part through the 
unbroken wilderness. 

The graduating class consisted of four students, 
and it is said that the exercises passed off in a very 
creditable manner. 

From such small beginnings has the present Dart- 
mouth College sprung. It ranks among the oldest 
of the American colleges, and it has established for 
itself a reputation of which every New Hampshire 
citizen may be justly proud. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 83 



CHAPTER VI. 

TROUBLE BETWEEN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND 

NEW YORK. 

The controversy between New Hampshire and 
New York over the lands of the present state of 
Vermont, then called " New Hampshire Grants," 
was long and bitter. The sovereigns of England, by 
whom large grants were made, had little or no con- 
ception of the vast extent of this country. The 
charters of the colonies of Massachusetts and Connec- 
ticut gave their possessions as extending westward to 
the Pacific Ocean, although at that time the Dutch 
had settled along the Hudson River; however, there 
was this condition : — " Provided that these lands 
have not already been settled by some other Chris- 
tian power." 

After the conquest of the Dutch possessions by 
the English, they were given by Charles II to his 
brother, the Duke of York, who was granted, accord- 
ing to the charter, " All lands extending from the 
west side of the Connecticut, to the east side of 
Delaware Bay," which overlapped the lands of Con- 
necticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The 
boundary between New York and Connecticut, and 
between New York and Massachusetts, was placed 



84 COLONIAL LIFE 

many miles west of the Connecticut River, because 
this territory had ah*eady been settled under grants 
from Connecticut and Massachusetts. The governor 
of New Hampshire took prompt measures to have his 
line extended in the same manner, but the governor 
of New York refused to acknowledge that any land 
west of the Connecticut belonged to New Hampshire ; 
however. New Hampshire's governor still continued 
to make grants of land in the disputed territory, and 
the settlers bought and paid for them. It is said that 
he became enormously wealthy from fees obtained by 
these sales. 

To stop the granting of land by Wentworth, the 
lieutenant-governor of New York sent forth a procla- 
mation stating that New Hampshire had no power to 
make grants, and he printed the charter given to the 
Duke of York to justify his statements. Finally the 
controversy was brought to the notice of the king 
by representatives sent from New York. They pre- 
sented to King George a forged petition purporting 
to be from the people who had settled in the disputed 
territory, declaring that they preferred to be under 
the authority of New York rather than that of New 
Hampshire. Acting upon this petition, the king 
placed the boundary between New York and New 
Hampshire at the Connecticut River. With great 
injustice the men in authority in New York claimed 
that this annulled any action taken before by New 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 85 

Hampshire in regard to these lands, and that the 
settlers who had bought them from the crown under 
the authority of New Hampshire, would have to pur- 
chase them again under the authority of New York, 
although the king in 1767 declared that no grants 
whatsoever should be made by New York in the 
disputed territory. 

Meeting for Organization. — Since the New York 
officers refused to recognize the titles held under 
grants from New Hampshire, the people determined 
to protect themselves, and for this purpose held a 
meeting at Bennington, Vermont, in order to devise 
means for the best way of resisting the efforts of those 
who would deprive them of their homesteads and 
lands. At this meeting they thoroughly organized 
a system of spying upon the New York deputies; no 
surveyor from that state could run his line, and no 
sheriff was able, however secret his approach, to make 
an arrest without resistance. Whenever a New York 
official became too zealous in performing his duty, 
the people had a playful method of capturing him and 
imprinting on his back with rods what they were 
accustomed to call "the beech seal." 

Difficulties Encountered by New York Officers. — The 
New York sheriffs labored under a great disadvan- 
tage, in that the common people of their state sympa- 
thized more with the settlers of New Hampshire 
Grants than they did with their own authorities. 



S6 COLONIAL LIFE 

Sheriff Ten Eyck, being required to serve a writ 
upon a resident of Bennington and suspecting strong 
resistance, called out the militia to the number of 
seven hundred fifty to assist him in making the arrest. 
The settlers, hearing of this, assembled three hundred 
men to oppose him. About twenty of them posted 
themselves in the house of the offender, while the 
remainder divided themselves into two parties and 
took their station on either side of the road, behind 
ridges which happened to skirt the highway at this 
point. 

The sheriff with his men marched unsuspectingly 
into the ambuscade and ordered the people of the 
house to surrender, threatening to break down the 
door unless his order was complied with instantly. 
" Attempt it and you are a dead man," came the 
reply. At this moment the ambuscading forces 
made themselves known, and displaying hats on the 
muzzles of their guns made a showing of twice their 
actual number. The rank and file of the " Yorkers " 
having no real relish for the business, and seeing the 
trap into which they had so nicely fallen, concluded 
that their presence was no longer needed, and with- 
out a shot being fired on either side, quietly withdrew, 
followed by the crestfallen leader. 

The Green Mountain Boys. — Shortly after a mili- 
tary force was organized for the purpose of more 
effectually opposing the New York authorities, and 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. Sy 

the renowned Ethan Allen was chosen as leader. 
They took it upon themselves not only to discourage 
further activity on the part of the New York officials, 
but to rectify the mistakes which they had made in 
the past. 

The proprietor of a sawmill at Otter Creek had 
been deprived of his property by a force of New 
Yorkers under Colonel Reid, who claimed that the 
New Hampshire title, purchased in 1761, was of no 
value, and placed in charge of the property a tenant 
of his own. Ethan Allen, hearing of this injustice, 
with a company of Green Mountain Boys turned out 
the New York people and reinstated the original 
proprietor. This action greatly incensed Governor 
Tryon of New York and Colonel Reid. The latter, 
with a company of his Scotchmen (the colonel had 
formerly been in command of the Forty-Second, or 
Royal Highland Regiment) marched to Otter Creek, 
and after forcibly ejecting the proprietor, left in his 
stead a rugged Scotchman with orders to hold pos- 
session at any cost. 

The Green Mountain Boys being informed of this 
last move on the part of the Yorkers, mustered a 
force and in no gentle manner ejected the Scotch- 
man with his goods. He, although forced to yield by 
superior numbers, still insisted in broad Scotch that 
" w^ie twonty guid broad-swoards I would hae defended 
my mill tho' ye had a hundred mon." The Green 



88 COLONIAL LIFE 

Mountain Boys so admired his pluck that they offered 
him a large tract of land if he would join them, an 
offer, however, which he scornfully rejected. 

Committees of Safety. — New York, finding that 
force did not serve her purpose, attempted to make 
friends with some of the prominent citizens by appoint- 
ing them to ofHce. To oppose this policy, committees 
of safety were assembled, who voted that no per- 
son was to be allowed to take any grant of land from 
New York, and that no one could hold office under 
her authority. For the violation of these enactments, 
the penalty was to rest with the decision of the court. 
The more common form of punishment was banish- 
ment from the colony, or the application of the re- 
nowned " beech seal," already alluded to. 

Sometimes the punishment was more grotesque 
than harsh. In one instance, Dr. Adams of Arling- 
ton, who had openly sympathized with and aided 
the New York authorities, fell into the hands of the 
Green Mountain Boys. When brought before the 
court, he was sentenced to be hung for two hours in 
an armchair, beneath the sign of the famous Green 
Mountain Tavern, a hostelry noted as the starting 
place of many raids against the hated " Yorkers." 

The towns along the Connecticut slope being more 
peacefully inclined had acquiesced to the rule of New 
York and had taken out new grants under its author- 
ity. They were subject, however, to so many indig- 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



89 



nities at the hands of the New York officials that the 
people in this section became thoroughly aroused. 
The trouble reached a climax when New York 
refused to adopt the Articles of the Association of 
the American Colonies. In the neiQchborino: com- 
monwealth where the articles had been accepted, no 
royal courts were permitted to hold session. The 




^.~^.,-r^^ -^ 



X^/^,tlr.,jUXZ. 



The Catamount or Green Mountain Tavern. 



people being heartily in sympathy with this move- 
ment, demanded that no courts should be held there, 
although they were nominally under the jurisdiction 
of the magistrates of New York. 

The Westminster Massacre (1775). — Upon learning 
that the authorities had determined to hold court at 
Westminster and had assembled a body of militia to 



90 COLOxNIAL LIFE 

enforce their action, a party of about one hundred 
settlers, in order to forestall them, seized the court- 
house the night before and determined not to leave 
until their claims had been heard. While here, they 
were fired upon by the militia under order from the 
sheriff. Two of the inmates were killed and several 
others severely wounded. The entire countryside 
was aroused by this action, and before the following 
morning more than four hundred men were on the 
spot ready to avenge the death of their neighbors. 
The sheriff and ringleaders were quickly seized and 
conducted to jail at Northampton, Massachusetts. 
The result of their trial was lost in the stirrinor times 
of the Revolution, but the outcome of the massacre 
was of great importance in preparing the way for the 
long struggle of independence that was to follow. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 91 



CHAPTER VII. 

BEGINNINGS OF THE REVOLUTION. 

The colonies were very heavily faxed to pay the 
expenses of the long French and Indian War. Taxes 
were imposed by the Parliament of England, and as 
the colonies had no voice in its decisions, they 
complained that taxation without representation was 
unjust. The English replied that many of their own 
cities had no representation in Parliament, yet they 
had to pay taxes ; that the wars had been carried on 
for the benefit of the colonies, and that they ought 
to pay their share of the expenses. To this the colo- 
nists said that they were willing to pay their share, 
but the fact that certain Englishmen were not repre- 
sented in Parliament did not affect the rights of the 
case. 

In order to make the colonists buy sugar and 
molasses from her planters in the West Indies, Eng- 
land had passed, in 1733, what was called the Sugar 
Act, which placed such a heavy duty on sugar and 
molasses raised in countries not under her control, 
that none could be imported from them except 
secretly. 

In 1750 Parliament passed laws forbidding the 
colonists to make iron bars. This act put a stop to 



92 COLONIAL LIFE 

the iron industry and closed snops in New Hampshire 
that had been rolling iron bars since 1747. They 
were called slitted iron and from them the black- 
smiths and mechanics cut out bolts and nails. 

Besides these unjust laws, Great Britain claimed 
the right to press New England sailors into ser- 
vice in her navy, whenever she had need of men. 
One captain was taken from his ship just as he was 
leaving the harbor of Portsmouth. 

Pine Tree Law. — In 17 10 all pine trees twelve 
inches or more in diameter had been marked with the 
" King's Arrow," which indicated that they were to 
be saved for use in the royal navy, and in 1722 the 
general court of New Hampshire had made it a 
criminal offense to cut down any of them. This 
law, as may be imagined, was very unpopular with the 
settlers, since they needed the lumber as much for 
building their houses as did the king for his navy. 
Governor Wentworth was appointed " Surveyor of the 
King's Woods," and had under his authority several 
deputies whose duty it was to see that the Pine Tree 
Law was properly enforced. To add insult to injury, 
if any man wished to clear his land, he must pay one 
of the deputies to come and mark the king's trees. 

The Rioters at Weare (1772). — It happened at 
Weare, that a man named Mudgett fell under sus- 
picion of cutting down the king's trees, and Governor 
Wentworth sent one of his deputies, named Whiting, 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 93 

to arrest him. The sheriff did not arrive at Weare 
until late in the afternoon, when he found Mudgett 
with several companions at a neighboring tavern. 
The prisoner protested against being taken away that 
evening, and finally prevailed upon the sheriff to 
remain at the tavern overnight, assuring him that his 
friends would be able to provide bail in the morning. 

The townspeople, aroused and indignant at the 
arrest of their neighbor, assembled durinor the nieht 
and determined to show the authorities the contempt 
in which they held the " Pine Tree Law." A com- 
pany of stalwart men was chosen, and at about four 
o'clock in the morning they rapped on the door of 
the sheriff's room and told him that the bailers of the 
prisoner stood ready outside. Whiting, grumbling at 
being aroused thus early, opened the door. He was 
then quickly seized, stretched over the bed and given 
his bail with good hickory switches which had been 
brought for the occasion. When sufficient bail had 
been administered, the much abused sheriff was taken 
down stairs, placed upon his horse, and amid the jeers 
of the people was led through the principal streets of 
the town. 

These " rioters at Weare " were afterwards arraigned 
and each fined twenty shillings, which small fine leads 
us to think that the judge sympathized as much with 
the rioters as he did with the authorities. Of all the 
oppressive measures which the mother country im- 



94 COLOxNIAL LIFE 

posed upon the colonies, none was so odious to the 
people of New Hampshire as the Pine Tree Law. 
It did more to unify our forefathers in active resistance 
against Great Britain than any other one thing. 

Acts of Unjust Taxation. — The Navigation Acts, 
passed from 1650 onward, forbade the colonists to 
trade in any but English ships. These measures 
became so odious that it was impossible to enforce 
them, and smuggling was extensively carried on. In 
1760, Parliament determined to put a stop to it and 
to enforce the laws. The sheriffs received orders to 
aid the collectors, and were given power to search 
houses and vessels for goods that had been illegally 
imported. So strong was public opinion against this 
measure that the king's officers did not dare even to 
remain in the colony. 

Nothing of English manufacture could be sold, 
and the colonists made every endeavor to supply 
necessary articles by home manufacture. This served 
as a stimulus to New Hampshire industries. A great 
impetus was given to the weaving of cloth in the 
homes, and one family, it is said, produced seven 
hundred yards in a year. 

In February, 1765, the Stamp Act was passed, 
which enacted that legal papers and even newspapers 
must have a government stamp. They were sold by 
public officers, and the money was supposed to go for 
the protection and defense of the colonists. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



95 



When the ships bearing the stamps arrived at Ports- 
mouth the bells tolled and the people assembled as for 
a funeral procession. A coffin with the word "LIB- 
ERTY " in capital letters engraved upon it, was borne 
to the cemetery on the shoulders of eight men, while 
the minute gun was fired. When they arrived at the 
burying ground, a funeral oration was pronounced 
and the coffin was lowered into the open grave. Then 
it was raised again with the inscription changed 
to " LIBERTY REVIVED," and with cheering and 
shouting the procession returned to the town. 

In the English Parliament, Chatham and Burke 
upheld the conduct of the colonists, but Parliament 
would not recede from its position, and these oppres- 
sive measures continued to widen the breach between 
England and her colonies until war was finally declared.. 



96 COLONIAL LIFE 



CHAPTER VIIL 

GENERAL JOHN STARK. 

Early Life. — John Stark was born in Nutfield, now 
known as Londonderry, on the 28th of August, 1728. 
His father, a graduate of the University at Glasgow, 
emigrated to this country with several other Scotch 
Irish settlers from Londonderry, Ireland, in the early 
part of the eighteenth century. When John was but 
eight years old, the family moved to Derryfield, now 
Manchester. 

In our backw^oods settlements there was little or 
no opportunity to gain an education, and Stark's 
early life was spent in working hard upon the farm 
during the spring, summer and autumn, and in hunt- 
ing and trapping during the winter. 

He lived with his father until he was twenty-four 
years old, when, with his older brother and two com- 
panions he went on a hunting trip to Baker's River 
in the northwestern part of the state, beyond the 
farthest English settlements. While there. Stark 
having w^andered some distance from the others, was 
seized by a party of ten Indians who demanded that 
he should lead them toward his camp. The young 
man had no idea of doing this, however, and con- 




General John Stark. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 97 

ducted them in the opposite direction. But his com- 
panions, becoming alarmed at his long absence, fired 
guns and thus disclosed the true position of their 
camp. The Indians immediately turned about and 
made a stealthy advance upon them. As soon as 
they came within hailing distance. Stark, unmind- 
ful of the consequences to himself, shouted to his 
friends to make their escape. This his brother 
William was able to do, but of the two remaining, 
one was killed and the other captured. 

The latter, with Stark, was taken to the Indian 
village of St. Francis where they were compelled to 
" run the gantlet," that is, they were forced to run 
between two long rows of Indians, each of whom, 
armed with a switch or club, beat the captives as they 
passed. Stark, much to their confusion, and to the 
amusement of the old men, seized the club of the first 
Indian, and used it with such effect that he escaped 
unharmed. 

At another time young Stark was made to hoe corn 
with the squaws, but knowing that the Indians con- 
sidered squaw's work degrading to a warrior, he care- 
fully hoed up all the corn and left the weeds, to show 
them how icrnorant he was of such labor. When 
reproved for this conduct, he threw the hoe far away 
from him and said, " It is the business, not of warriors, 
but of squaws, to hoe corn." The Indians were much 
pleased at his spirit, and adopted him into the tribe. 



98 COLONIAL LIFE 

giving him the name of " Young Chief." Although 
closely watched to prevent his escape, he had great 
liberty, and used all his opportunities for studying 
the character and habits of the Red Man. 

Ransom of Stark. — When he had been with the 
Indians for some time, Captain Stevens of Number 
Four and Mr. Wheelwright of Boston went to St. 
Francis to ransom two citizens of Massachusetts 
whom they expected to find there. It had become 
the custom of Massachusetts to pay a ransom for her 
citizens who had been made captive by the Indians. 
Mr. Wheelwright advanced the ransom money, one 
hundred three dollars to Stark, and sixty dollars to 
his companion, when the two men returned to Derry- 
field after an absence of four months. Stark always 
remembered with pleasure this stay among the natives, 
and often said that he never saw any prisoner of war 
more kindly treated than he had been by them. New 
Hampshire refused to refund to Massachusetts the 
money for his ransom, and Stark went on another 
hunting trip the next winter in order that he might 
pay the debt himself. 

Stark Made Lieutenant of New Hampshire Rangers. — 
The first Congress of the colonies, which assembled 
at Albany, New York, in 1754, planned several cam- 
paigns against the Indians, one of which, composed 
mostly of New England men, was to attack Crown 
Point on Lake Champlain. Robert Rogers enlisted 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



99 



a corps of rangers in New Hampshire to aid in this 
expedition, and Stark was made a second Heutenant 
in the regiment of Colonel Blanchard. 

The army accomplished but little. They repulsed 
the French and Indians under Baron Dieskau, but 
did not follow up their advantage by attacking Crown 
Point. The rangers did such good work that Aber- 
crombie, who had succeeded Governor Shirley, en- 
larged their numbers and Stark was advanced to 
the grade of first lieutenant. 

Attack upon the French. — In the month of January, 
1757, Rogers was ordered to take a part of his men 
on an exploring expedition from Fort William Henry. 
They started down Lake George on snowshoes, but 
some of the men became so lame that they were 
obliged to turn back. The remainder proceeded to 
Lake Champlain, where they captured a number of 
sleds loaded with provisions, which were on their way 
from Ticonderoga to Crown Point. From one of 
the prisoners they learned that there was a much 
larger force at Ticonderoga than they had supposed. 
Knowing that those who had escaped would inform 
the garrison of their presence, they began a retreat 
toward their camp of the previous night. 

Advancing in Indian file, Major Rogers in the lead 
and Lieutenant Stark in the rear, they suddenly came 
on a force of two hundred fifty of the enemy, who 
immediately opened fire. Captain Spikeman was 



lOO COLONIAL LIFE 

killed and several were wounded, but Stark and his 
men kept up such a steady fire that the rangers were 
enabled to form a line of battle on a hilltop, sheltered 
by trees. The enemy made an assault and the battle 
beean in earnest. The contest lasted from two o'clock 
in the afternoon until dark. Rogers was wounded in 
the wrist, and one of his comrades cut off the Major's 
queue to stanch the wound. 

Then the command devolved on Lieutenant Stark. 
When there was talk of falling back, he cried that he 
would shoot any man who retreated. In spite of the 
intense cold, the men having to stand in four or five 
feet of snow, the fight continued. A bullet broke the 
lock of Stark's gun. He promptly seized one from a 
fallen Frenchman. The enemy offered them every 
inducement to surrender, but they refused, and to 
such good purpose that nearly half the French force 
was mortally wounded. At dusk, the enemy stopped 
firing, and the rangers, knowing that they were very 
near a large garrison, resolved to retreat toward Fort 
William Henry. Assisting the wounded as best they 
could, they dragged themselves to Lake George, which 
was reached in the morning. 

Although still forty miles from Fort W^illiam Henry, 
Stark with two other men volunteered to go there for 
a sled on which the wounded could be carried. Pass- 
ing over the lake on snowshoes, they reached the fort 
about dark. Immediately they started on the return 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. lOI 

trip, and by traveling all night succeeded in bringing 
back the wounded at the close of the next day. It is 
said that Stark himself helped to drag the sled back 
to the fort, thus having labored for three days and 
two nights without stopping. In appreciation of his 
gallant conduct, he was advanced to the grade of 
captain in the place of Spikeman, who had been 
killed. 

Stark Repulses an Attack upon Fort William Henry. — 
On the eve of St. Patrick's Day, Captain Stark over- 
heard some of the soldiers at Fort William Henry 
talking of the way in which they were going to cele- 
brate, and in order that his own men at least might 
be sober, he gave strict orders to the sutler not to 
furnish any liquor to the rangers except on an order 
signed by himself. When the men asked for orders. 
Stark complained that his wrist was lame and there- 
fore he could not write. The French knowing that 
many of the garrison would be likely to drink hard 
on St. Patrick's Day, made an attack that night. As 
Stark expected, the regulars were unfit for service, 
and the fort would certainly have been taken had it 
not been for the New Hampshire rangers. 

The 'Attack upon Fort Ticonderoga. — Both England 
and her colonies were determined to conquer Canada, 
and for this purpose large forces were raised in New 
England. New Hampshire furnished three thousand 
soldiers for the campaign of 1758. Loudoun was 



I02 COLONIAL LIFE 

recalled and Abercromble was put in command of 
the troops, which consisted of fifty thousand men, the 
largest army that had ever been seen in America. 
In July they marched against Ticonderoga. Stark, 
with his rangers, was ordered to go before and clear 
the woods of scouts and skirmishers. 

Abercrombie delayed his advance so long that, 
when he finally made an attack, the French had re- 
ceived reinforcements and had entrenched themselves 
behind trees that were felled with their boughs and 
branches all pointing outward, making it almost im- 
possible for an attacking party to charge through 
them. The English forces were repulsed with great 
loss, and although they still had twice as many men 
as the French, yet Abercrombie ordered a retreat. 
It now became the duty of the rangers to protect 
the rear as they had before protected the advance. 
No more work was done by the regular army that 
summer, but the rangers were employed in reconnoi- 
tering and in waylaying the baggage trains of the 
enemy. Stark, who was not needed, obtained a fur- 
lough, and returned to his home, where he married 
Elizabeth Page of Dunbarton. 

After the capture of Louisburg, Sir Jeffrey Amherst 
was given command of all the Canadian forces. Stark, 
becoming tired of the slow way in which the cam- 
paign was conducted, soon resigned his commission 
and devoted himself to the care of his farm. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 103 

The Commencement of the Revolutionary War. — In 

1774 Stark was a member of the committee of safety 
of his town, and he did all in his power to encourage 
his friends to stand firm for their rights and to resist 
oppression, even if it became necessary to rebel against 
the mother country. To this end, he greatly helped 
the militia in its organization and drill. 

When the news came of the Battle of Lexington, 
the messenger, who was sent to ask Stark to take 
command of the New Hampshire forces, found him at 
work in his sawmill. He immediately stopped the 
mill, hurried to his house, took down his rifle, and 
started on horseback to Massachusetts, forgetting in 
his haste even to put on his coat. As he passed 
through the towns, he was joined by many other New 
Hampshire men eager to resist the British. Soon the 
New Hampshire troops were organized, and formed 
into three regiments commanded by Colonels Stark, 
Reed and Poor, with headquarters at Medford. Stark's 
regiment was probably the largest in the army as it 
consisted of thirteen companies. 

Stark at Bunker Hill. — The night before the Battle 
of Bunker Hill, a party under Colonel Prescott was 
sent across Charlestown Neck to make a fortification. 
Two hundred of Stark's men were detailed to help in 
this work. The rampart which they raised was so 
unskillfully made that it was impossible for the defend- 
ers to fire, as the enemy advanced up the hill, without 



I04 COLONIAL LIFE 

exposing themselves. Stark in derision called it a 
pound. Early in the morning, he sent two hundred 
men under Wyman, his lieutenant-colonel, to aid in 
the defense, and he, with Major McClary, went forward 
to view the situation. 

It is said that General Gage, when he was reconnoi- 
tering the redoubt from Boston, was asked if the 
Americans would stand before the advance of the 
British regiments, and that he replied : " They will 
if one John Stark is among them, for he is a brave 
fellow and served under me at Lake George." 

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Stark's whole 
regiment was ordered to the front and he hastened 
back to lead their advance. Each of his men was 
given a gill of powder, fifteen bullets and one flint ; 
but their guns were of different sizes, and many of 
the men had to pound the bullets into the right shape 
for their barrels. They marched across Charlestown 
Neck, where they were exposed to a heavy fire from 
the British ships. Captain Dearborn, afterwards 
major-general, who was near Stark, suggested that 
they move faster. 

" Dearborn," Stark replied, " one fresh man in 
action is worth ten fatigued," and he continued to 
advance in the same cool way. Stark was joined 
soon after by the two hundred men who, the night 
before, had helped raise the fortification. The men 
under Wyman were by themselves on the right wing 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 105 

commanded by General Putnam. Stark took his 
position on the left, between the fortification and 
the Mystic River. 

The British forces, commanded by General Howe 
and General Piggott, landed under the protection of a 
tremendous fire from the British ships and from the 
artillery on Copp's Hill. Stark, seeing the engage- 
ment to be imminent, made a short speech to his men 
and ordered them to march quickly to a rail fence 
extending to the Mystic. There they gathered up 
the grass that had recently been mowed and raked 
into windrows, and placed it behind the fence. This, 
while no protection from the bullets of the enemy, 
served to deceive them. 

Stark coolly advanced about thirty paces in front of 
his line, and carefully drove a stake into the ground. 
He then said, " If any man dares fire before the red- 
coats reach this stake, I will knock him down." The 
terrible work accomplished by the men behind the 
rail fence is well known. Twice the British forces 
retreated under the tremendous fire of the back- 
woodsmen, and it required all of Stark's authority 
to keep his men from following. 

During the battle, word was brought to Stark that 
his oldest son, a lad of sixteen years, had been killed. 
The brave colonel replied : " This is not a moment 
to talk of private affairs when the enemy is in front," 
and he ordered the messenger back to his station. 



I06 COLONIAL LIFE 

Fortunately, it was a false report, for the lad was 
not killed, but lived to serve throughout the war. 

Shortly afterward the fortification having fallen into 
the hands of the British, Stark ordered a retreat. 
All ammunition was gone and the Americans would 
have been at the mercy of the enemy, had not a 
supply of powder arrived from New Hampshire just 
in time to prevent a rout. It was the powder that 
had been captured at Fort William and Mary and 
stored at Durham. It had been brought over the 
hills to Charlestown by old John Demeritt, in his 
ox-cart, from the little New Hampshire town sixty 
miles away. With this ammunition, Colonel Stark 
was enabled to cover the retreat of the flying troops 
who had occupied the redoubt, and the entire force 
passed over Charlestown Neck in safety. 

Expedition against Canada. — A portion of Stark's 
men, under the command of Captain Dearborn, joined 
the expedition which Arnold led up the Kennebec 
against Canada, but Stark himself remained at Winter 
Hill until the evacuation of Boston, March, 1776, 
when, under orders from General Washington, he 
went to New York, where his troops were engaged 
in strengthening the defenses of that city. 

In May Stark was ordered to proceed to Canada 
by way of Albany and to join the American army. 
This he succeeded in doing, but the Canadian expedi- 
tion was a failure, and the Americans retreated to 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. lO/ 

Chimney Point, on Lake Champlain. Here Stark 
thought that it was best for the army to make a 
stand in defense of the neighboring settlers, but 
General Schuyler ordered a retreat to Ticonderoga. 
The day after they reached the fort, word was 
received of the signing of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, which caused great rejoicing among the 
men. 

Stark's Advice to Washington. — After the disaster 
at New York, General Gates was ordered to send 
reinforcements to General Washington, and Stark's 
regiment was included in the detachment sent for 
that purpose. Stark became impatient at the lack 
of active fisfhtino: and said to Washinsfton : " Your 
men have too long been accustomed to place their 
dependence for safety upon spades and pickaxes ; if 
you expect to establish the independence of these 
States, you must teach them to place dependence 
upon their firearms and their courage." Washing- 
ton replied : " This is what we have agreed upon. 
We are to march to-morrow upon Trenton ; you are 
here to command the right wing of the advance 
guard and General Green the left." Stark replied 
that the position exactly suited him. The attack 
was a great success, for several cannon and a large 
number of small arms were captured, and nearly a 
thousand men were taken prisoners, while the Ameri- 
can loss was about ten men. 



I08 COLONIAL LIFE 

Just before the battle of Princeton, the term expired 
for which his men had enlisted, but Colonel Stark, 
seeing that important work was soon to be done, suc- 
ceeded in persuading them to reenlist for a period of 
six weeks. Such was their faith in their colonel that 
not one of them failed to respond, which is the more 
remarkable as the hopes of the American army were 
then at the lowest ebb, and men were constantly 
deserting. 

Stark Returns to New Hampshire. — As this new 
enlistment was only for a short time, it became neces- 
sary for Stark to return to New Hampshire to recruit 
men for the campaign of 1777. By March, his regi- 
ment was full, and having reported that fact to the 
council of New Hampshire and to General Wash- 
ington, he went to Exeter to await further orders. 

While at home, Stark learned that a new list of 
promotions had been made out, and that his name 
had been omitted, while inferior officers had been set 
above him. He immediately notified the council and 
Generals Sullivan and Poor that he considered his 
treatment so unjust that he must surrender his com- 
mission. They tried to dissuade him but he replied : 
" An officer who will not stand for his own rights 
ought not to be trusted to stand for the rights of his 
country." 

Although Stark considered that his dignity required 
his resignation from the army, he still took great 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 109 

interest in the cause and warned Sullivan and Poor 
of the defenseless condition of Fort Ticonderosra and 
of the northwestern frontier. At the same time he 
declared his willingness to return to the army when 
his country should need him. The council and 
house of delegates gave him a vote of thanks for his 
attachment to the cause of liberty. On his return 
home, he enlisted in the Continental army all the 
members of his family who were old enough to serve. 

Burgoyne's Invasion. — In 1777 Burgoyne with a 
large number of American Tories, Indians, Canadians 
and Germans, started from Canada to join Howe at 
New York, and thus cut the Continental forces into 
two parts. The Americans had been easily driven 
out of Fort Ticonderoga, Washington had met with 
many and severe reverses, and the whole country w^as 
in a state of gloom and despondency. The Committee 
of Safety of the New Hampshire Grants applied to 
the legislature of New Hampshire for aid, but as the 
treasury was empty no assistance could be given. In 
this extremity, John Langdon, a Portsmouth mer- 
chant, and speaker of the assembly, thus addressed 
that body : 

"I have three thousand dollars in hard money; I 
will pledge my plate for three thousand more ; I have 
hogsheads of Tobago rum which shall be sold for the 
most it will bring. These are at the service of the 
state. If we succeed in defending our firesides and 



no COLOxNIAL LIFE 

homes, I shall be remunerated ; if we do not, the prop- 
erty will be of no value to me. Our old friend Stark, 
who so nobly maintained our honor at Bunker Hill, 
may be safely trusted with the conduct of the enter- 
prise, and we will check the progress of Burgoyne." 

Stark is Given Independent Command. — Langdon's 
generosity enabled the state to raise a force of men 
which Stark was asked to lead, but he refused to 
serve under any officers whom he had formerly com- 
manded; and finally, rather than lose his services, 
the leo^islature Qrave him command of all the forces 
of New Hampshire, and agreed that he should be 
entirely independent of the national officers. 

When Stark arrived at Manchester, Vermont, the 
advantage of this power was shown, for there he was 
met by General Lincoln, who ordered him to march 
to the west side of the Hudson. Much incensed. 
Stark asked : " By whose authority do you give this 
command ? " Lincoln replied, " By the order of Gen- 
eral Schuyler." 

Stark thereupon asked Lincoln to tell General 
Schuyler that he (Stark) was able to command his 
own forces, and also gave to him copies of his inde- 
pendent commission and orders from New^ Hampshire. 
Schuyler brought this to the notice of Congress, 
which passed a resolution of censure upon the state 
of New Hampshire for giving authority without its 
permission. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. Ill 

Stark's purpose was to protect the New Hampshire 
Grants, and the only way of accomplishing his object 
was to remain on the east side of the Hudson and 
attempt to cut off Burgoyne's supplies from Canada, 
which plan afterward met with the hearty approval of 
Washington. 

Battle of Bennington. — Burgoyne, believing that 
there were many Tories in the New Hampshire 
Grants, sent out a large detachment of Hessians, 
Tories and Indians under Colonel Baum to obtain 
provisions and possibly recruits. On the 14th of 
August, Stark received information that this force 
had arrived at Cambridge, about ten miles north- 
west of Bennington, and that they were intending to 
capture a large quantity of flour, stored at a mill near 
the town. He immediately marched his forces in 
that direction, and at nightfall met the enemy. 

As the eround was unsuitable for an immediate 
attack. Stark withdrew his army about a mile and 
prepared for battle on the following day. The next 
morning he moved to attack the British, but it began 
to rain so heavily that he was forced to return to his 
camp. This delay unfortunately gave Baum time to 
throw up entrenchments in a strong position and 
to send to Burgoyne for aid. 

On the morning of the i6th, the Americans were 
reinforced by the Berkshire militia, those from Pitts- 
field being led by their pastor, the Reverend Thomas 



112 COLONIAL LIFE 

Allen. This gentleman advanced to the log cabin 
where Stark had his headquarters and addressed the 
General as follows: — "We, the people of Berkshire, 
have been frequently called upon to fight, but we 
have never been led against the enemy. We have 
now resolved, if you will not let us fight, never to 
turn out again." 

General Stark asked, " Do you wish to march now, 
while it is dark and rainy ? " 

" No," was the answer. 

" Then," continued Stark, " if the Lord should once 
more give us sunshine, and I do not give you fighting 
enough, I will never ask you to come again." 

Shortly after the arrival of the Berkshire militia. 
Stark sent Nichols and Herrick with a detachment 
of five hundred men to form at the rear of Baum's 
entrenchment, and also sent to the right a flanking 
party of two hundred men. 

The stolid German commander was entirely unsus- 
picious of these movements. He took no notice 
whatever of the little squads of farmers who passed 
by his camp dressed in their rough homespun, for, to 
his mind, no man could be a soldier unless clothed 
in uniform. He was destined later to change his 
opinion. The Indians, however, were not at all 
deceived, and held an entirely different view of the 
matter. They quietly deserted the British camp, 
complaining that the woods were full of Yankees. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 1 13 

The weather cleared up In the course of the day, 
and Stark advanced toward the fortification. Havine 
placed his troops in position, about three o'clock in 
the afternoon he ordered an attack. Advancins^ in 
front of his troops and pointing to the enemy, he 
exclaimed, " See, men ! There are the redcoats ! 
We shall beat them to-day, or ' Molly ' Stark will be 
a widow ! " 

For more than two hours the fight raged, as Stark 
afterwards said, "hotter than he had ever experi- 
enced." The New Hampshire troops advanced re- 
peatedly within gunshot of the intrenchments and 
with accurate aim picked off the Hessian gunners. 

At last Stark rallied all his forces and led a final 
charge upon the works of the enemy. Then followed 
a hand to hand encounter, in which both sides fought 
stubbornly and well. Stark's men were greatly handi- 
capped by lack of bayonets, but in spite of it they, 
with their clubbed muskets, repeatedly drove back the 
charges of the British. Finally Baum fell mortally 
wounded, and shortly after his forces surrendered. 
The Hessian prisoners were treated civilly, but the 
Tories were fastened to a long rope two by two, the 
end of which was hitched to the tail of an old horse, 
and in disgrace they were marched through the town 
of Bennino^ton. 

While the Americans were still engaged in plunder- 
ing the Hessian camp, at about six o'clock in the 



114 



COLONIAL LIFE 



afternoon, a large force of the enemy, under Colonel 
Brayman, came suddenly upon them. They had 
been sent by Burgoyne as a reinforcement for Baum. 
Although his men were tired out by the former battle, 
Stark rallied his troops and again ordered an attack. 
After a short but very severe engagement, during 
which he was reinforced by a company of Green 
Mountain Boys under Warner, the enemy were com- 
pelled to retreat, leaving behind all their artillery. 




Cannon Captured at Bennington. 

Here we have a case in which a man fought two 
battles in one day. In the first, he captured the 
entire army opposing; and in the second, put the 
enemy to rout. The following is an extract of Stark's 
account of the battle, forwarded by a messenger to 
the legislature of New Hampshire : 

" Our people behaved with the greatest spirit and 
bravery imaginable. Had they been Alexanders or 
Charles of Sweden, they could not have behaved 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



115 



better. The action lasted two hours, at the expira- 
tion of which time we forced their breastworks at the 
muzzles of their guns, took two pieces of brass 
cannon, with a number of prisoners ; but before I 
could get them into proper form again, I received 
intelligence that there was a large reinforcement 
within two miles of us on their march, which occa- 




War Relics of Battle of Bennington. 

sioned us to renew our attack. But lucky for us, 
Colonel Warner's regiment came up, which put a 
stop to their career. 

" Soon we rallied, and, in a few minutes, the action 
began very warm and desperate, which lasted until 
night. We used their own cannon against them, 
which proved of great service to us. At sunset we 
obliged them to retreat a second time. We pursued 
them until dark, when I was obliged to halt for fear 
of killing my own men in the darkness. With one 



Il6 COLONIAL LIFE 

more hour of daylight, we would have captured the 
whole body. We recovered two pieces more of their 
cannon, together with all their baggage, a number of 
horses, carriages, etc., and killed upwards of two hun- 
dred of the enemy in the field of battle. The number 
of wounded is not yet known, as they are scattered 
about in many places. I have one lieutenant-colonel, 
since dead, one major, seven captains, fourteen lieu- 
tenants, four ensigns, two cornets, one judge-advo- 
cate, one baron, two Canadian ofiBcers, six sergeants, 
one aid-de-camp, one Hessian chaplain, three Hessian 
servants and seven hundred prisoners. 

Signed, John Stark, 

Briga dier- Gen eral.'''' 

The effect of this victory was electrical. It was 
the first link of a chain of victories which led to the 
overthrow of the British. After the reverses of our 
army in Pennsylvania, it aroused the entire country 
to new hope. Recruits came pouring in. 

When news of the battle was brous^ht to Washing^- 
ton, he exclaimed, " One more such stroke, and we 
shall have no great cause for anxiety as to the future 
designs of Britain." Congress, when the news came, 
was about to " read New Hampshire out of the 
Union," but, instead, this resolution was passed : — 

" Resolved, that the thanks of Congress be pre- 
sented to General Stark of the New Hampshire 
militia, and the officers and troops under his com- 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. Ii/ 

mand, for their brave and successful attack upon, and 
their signal victory over the enemy in their lines at 
Bennington ; and that Brigadier Stark be appointed 
brigadier-general in the army of the United States." 
Years afterwards, President Jefferson wrote General 
Stark a letter in which he stated that the battle of 
Bennington was the culminating point in the fortunes 
of the colonists. 

Burgoyne, having advanced beyond Ticonderoga, 
had placed his reliance upon foraging parties like 
Baum's to bring in provisions. The battle of Ben- 
nington proved that this was impossible, and his 
forces were thus cut off from all supplies. 

Stark remained a month at Bennington and then 
rejoined General Gates at Bemis Heights, but the 
enlistment of his men having expired he returned 
with them to New Hampshire. In a short time he 
was eiven a laro^er command, and he now carried out 
his former policy of harassing Burgoyne's rear and of 
preventing any supplies reaching him from Canada. 
By this means he became an important factor in the 
final surrender of Burgoyne. 

Stark Given Command of the Northern Department. 
— In the campaign of 1778, Stark was given the 
command of the northern department with head- 
quarters at Albany. It was a difficult position, for 
while there was not much hard fighting, the country 
was full of Tories, who needed constant watching. 



Il8 COLONIAL LIFE 

Later, he was ordered to join General Gates in Rhode 
Island, where he was engaged in reconnoitering the 
coast. When Gates went to New Jersey to reinforce 
Washington, Stark accompanied him, but the army 
soon went into winter quarters, and Stark returned 
home to raise recruits and supplies for the spring 
campaign. 

It was with great difficulty that the New Hampshire 
legislature could be prevailed upon to provide suffi- 
cient clothino: for their soldiers. One of the members 
of this body, named Ephraim Adams, an old cam- 
paigner in the French and Indian War, repeatedly 
called the attention of the legislature to their negli- 
gence in this direction, but his words produced little 
or no effect. Finally, on a bitterly cold winter's day, 
the old man arose, and in a most impressive manner 
thus addressed the legislature: — "Gentlemen, our 
soldiers are in the field fighting for the protection of 
our homes and families, and I would move, Mr. Presi- 
dent, that they be allowed the privilege of growing 
wool upon their backs to protect them from the bitter 
cold." It is said that from this time on the New 
Hampshire soldiers were the best clothed regiments 
in the army. 

In May Stark returned to New Jersey, and was 
present at the battle of Springfield, but he soon went 
back to New Hampshire for more recruits. He had 
such success that he was able in a short time to take 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. I 19 

reinforcements to West Point, where he left them, 
while he joined the army at Morristown. After 
Arnold's treachery. Stark was ordered to relieve Gen- 
eral St. Clair at West Point, and to serve on the 
court-martial of Major Andre. 

In 1 78 1 Stark was again given the command of 
the northern department and stationed at Saratoga, 
where he was occupied principally with police duties, 
as the country was overrun with spies and traitors, and 
as robberies were of frequent occurrence. After the 
surrender of Cornwallis Stark dismissed the militia, 
and thanked them for their bravery and loyalty. He 
then returned to New England by way of Albany, 
and spent the winter in raising troops for the cam- 
paign of 1782. His long years of exposure had 
brought on a severe attack of rheumatism, and he 
was no longer able to take the field himself, but he 
did all in his power to aid the cause of liberty. 

In appearance Stark was a man of medium size, well 
proportioned, and of great strength and endurance. 
It is remarkable that in all his years of hard service 
and in his many severe battles, he had never received 
a wound. In character he was kind, honest, frank and 
hospitable. He died at the advanced age of ninety- 
four, and was buried at Manchester, New Hampshire. 
After his death, there was left but one general who 
had taken part in the Revolutionary War. 



I20 COLONIAL LIFE 



CHAPTER IX. 
GENERAL JOHN SULLIVAN. 

Sullivan's Boyhood. — General Sullivan's father came 
from the province of Munster, Ireland, and settled in 
New England. Being well educated, he became a 
schoolmaster and taught the schools of Berwick, 
Maine, and of Somersworth, New Hampshire, until 
he was ninety years of age. 

Sullivan's mother was also an emigrant from Ire- 
land. When on the voyage, a passenger in a joking 
way asked her, " What do you expect to do in Amer- 
ica ? " " Do ? " was the reply, " why, raise governors 
for them, sure." One of her sons was afterwards 
governor of Massachusetts, a grandson was governor 
of Maine, another a senator from New Hampshire, 
and yet another was lieutenant-governor of Illinois. 

John was born at Somersworth, February 17, 1740. 
He received from his father what was then considered 
a very good education. When only a lad, he went 
on a voyage to the West Indies. On his return, he 
applied to Judge Livermore of Portsmouth for work, 
who, seeing before him a plain country boy clad in 
rough homespun, asked, " What can you do if I take 
you?" "Oh, I can split the wood, take care of the 
horse, attend to the gardening, and, perhaps, find 




General John Sullivan. 



I 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 121 

some spare time to read a little, if you can give me 
that privilege," replied the boy. The judge was so 
pleased with his manner that he gave him a trial. 

Mr. Livermore had an excellent library, and John 
improved every opportunity for study. One day, 
while the judge was away and Sullivan was reading 
in the library, a young man entered who had been 
accused of assault, and who wished to engage Judge 
Livermore to defend him. On learning that the 
judge was absent, he asked young John if he would 
not take the case. This he consented to do, and 
followed his client into court, which was then in ses- 
sion. In the meantime the judge came home, and, 
hearing that John had gone to the trial, followed to 
the court-room and slipped in silently to hear his 
manner of conducting the case. The prosecution 
showed the black and blue marks and enlisted the 
sympathies of all present. The case seemed against 
the boy, but he was able to prove that his client had 
received sufficient provocation, and the man was 
acquitted. The judge, greatly pleased, left as secretly 
as he had come. The next morning he sent for the 
lad and said, " John, the kitchen is no place for you, 
continue in your studies, give them your undivided 
attention, and you shall have what assistance you need 
from me until you are in a condition to repay it." 

Experience as a Lawyer. — At the age of twenty, 
John Sullivan was married, and opened a law office 



122 COLONIAL LIFE 

in Durham. At this time there were but two lawyers 
in the entire province of New Hampshire. The pro- 
fession was not considered very highly, and as a result 
the citizens resented young Sullivan's attempt to 
settle among them. They even gathered one bright 
evenino- about his house and threatened to tear it 
down unless he promised to leave. Sullivan addressed 
the angry people from an upper window and proposed 
to test the question by " single combat." It was 
decided, however, that he was so strong that no 
fitting opponent could be found, when James Sulli- 
van, afterwards governor of Massachusetts, volun- 
teered in his brother's place. In the battle which 
followed, James was victor, and John lived to bring 
honor and glory to the town of Durham. 

During the exciting times just before the revolu- 
tion, Sullivan took an active part, and in the spring of 
1774 represented New Hampshire in Congress. 

John Adams, in his diary, wrote as follows regard- 
ing the action taken by this Congress : — " The com- 
mittee of violations of rights reported a set of articles 
which were drawn by Mr. John Sullivan of New 
Hampshire, and these two declarations . . . were two 
years afterwards recapitulated in the Declaration of 
Independence on the Fourth of July, 1776." Thus 
Sullivan played an important part in framing the 
Declaration which gave to America her indepen- 
dence. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 



123 



Capture of Fort William and Mary. — On December 
13 Paul Revere, the famous patriot of Boston, who 
afterwards brought news to Lexington, came to Sulli- 
van with the announcement that the king had pro- 
hibited the importation of arms or military stores into 
the colonies, and that two regiments were about to 
march fro m 
Boston to oc- 
cupy the fort " 
near Ports- 
mouth Harbor. 
To Sullivan's 
mind, the time 
had come for 
action. He 
quickly assem- 
bled a company 
of men, and on 
the following 
night, which 
happened to be 
clear and cold, they sailed down the river to Ports- 
mouth, where half a dozen patriots were taken on 
board, among whom was Captain John Langdon, 
afterwards the first president of the United States 
Senate and governor of New Hampshire. 

From Portsmouth they proceeded directly to the 
fort. The water was so shallow where they attempted 




Portcullis of Fort William and Mary. 



124 COLONIAL LIFE 

to land, that they were forced to wade to the shore. 
Although bitterly cold, the men removed their shoes 
in order to make no noise while climbinor the ram- 
parts. The garrison, however, was alarmed, and made 
a sharp but unsuccessful resistance.^ 

The captain of the fort, together with his men, 
was seized and bound. They found here nearly two 
hundred kegs of powder, which they loaded on board 
their vessel and then proceeded back to Durham, 
where the powder was buried under the pulpit of the 
old meeting-house, as a means of security, for in those 
days no form of heating was used in church. 

At the battle of Bunker Hill, the American troops 
were very short of powder. A modern writer has 
described their condition in the following manner: 

" As the British were forming for a final charge on 
the earthworks, Prescott discovered that his men had 
hardly one round of ammunition. Dismayed at this, 
he gave the order to retreat. Undoubtedly both his 
forces and Stark's would have been captured except 
for the tremendous fire which Stark, from behind 
the rail fence, stuck with hay, was able to pour upon 
the Welsh fusileers who were marching to cut off the 

1 There is another account of the capture of Fort William and 
Mary, which gives the credit of its seizure to a band of Portsmouth 
citizens. They were said to have made an attack in broad daylight, and 
to have seized the fort without resistance on the part of its inmates. 

The account as given in the text seems, however, to have the better 
historical support. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 125 

retreat. This Stark was able to do by a store of 
powder which came at a most opportune moment. 
It had been brought over the hills from New Hamp- 
shire, sixty miles away, by Captain John Demerritt in 
an ox-cart, and was a portion of the British powder 
captured at Portsmouth on the memorable 14th of 
December." 

The news of Sullivan's assault upon the king's 
fortress was received with the greatest excitement in 
England. Parliament practically adopted a declara- 
tion of war, which was presented on February 9, 1775. 
The king promised " to uphold its wishes and that his 
language should open the eyes of the deluded Ameri- 
cans." Orders were immediately sent from London 
to seize all arms and ammunition to be found in the 
colonies, and Pitcairn's march to Lexington was the 
result. Dr. Quint of Dover, speaking of this attack, 
writes as follows : " The daring character of this as- 
sault cannot be overestimated. It was an organized 
investment of a royal fortress where the king's flag 
was flying, and the king's garrison met them with 
muskets and artillery. It was four months before 
Lexington, and Lexington was resistance to attack, 
while this was deliberate assault." 

Alexander Scammel was in the expedition against 
Fort William and Mary, and it was he who hauled 
down the British flag. Scammel was one of Washing- 
ton's closest friends, and later became adjutant-general 



126 COLONIAL LIFE 

of the entire army of the Revolution. He was killed 
during the siege of Yorktown, just before the sur- 
render of Cornwallis; thus having taken part in the 
first and last struggle for independence. It is im- 
portant for New Hampshire people to remember that 
this attack upon Fort William and Mary was the first 
armed resistance in the War of Independence, and that 
it took place four months before the battle of Lexington. 

Governor Wentworth immediately issued a procla- 
mation declaring all who had taken part in this attack 
guilty of treason, and offered a reward for their cap- 
ture. Major Sullivan and other citizens of Durham 
who held commissions, either civil or military, from 
the king, marched boldly in a procession to the com- 
mon, and there publicly burned their commissions, 
uniform, and everything that bound them to the 
king's service. 

In order to defend his action in attacking the fort, 
Sullivan published an address, which was spread 
throughout the country, and from which this extract 
is taken : " I am far from wishing hostilities to com- 
mence on the part of America; but still hope that no 
person will, at this important crisis, be unprepared 
to act in his own defense, should he, by necessity, be 
driven thereto. And I must beg leave to recommend 
to the consideration of the people on this continent, 
w^hether, w^ien we are by an arbitrary decree prohib- 
ited the having arms and ammunition by importation, 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 12/ 

we have not, by the law of self-preservation, a right to 
seize upon those within our power, in order to defend 
the liberties which God and nature have Qriven us ; 
especially at this time, when several of the colonies 
are involved in a dangerous war with the Indians, 
and must, if this inhuman order have the desired 
effect, fall a prey to those savages and barbarians, 
who have so often deluged this land with blood." 

Sullivan Made Brigadier-General. — When the news 
of the battles of Lexington and Concord was received, 
Sullivan marched with his company to Massachusetts ; 
but in May he resumed his seat in Congress and was 
appointed chairman of the w^ar committee. At the 
time Washington was made commander-in-chief, eight 
brigadier-generals were appointed, and Sullivan was 
one of those to receive a commission. He went with 
his commander to Cambridge, and w^as stationed at 
Winter Hill during the siege of Boston. 

After the victory, March 1 7, 1 776, Sullivan was given 
command of the army in Canada. Upon arriving at 
his post, he found the army hungry and disheartened. 
Five thousand of the men were sick, and only about 
two thousand fit for duty. The enemy's forces were 
much stronger and in better condition. Under such 
circumstances there was nothing to do but to retreat. 
This retreat was conducted wath such skill, prudence, 
and enero^v that the Americans w^ere able to bring off 
all their sick, together with their guns and ammuni- 



128 COLONIAL LIFE 

tion, the men dragging the cannon by hand through 
the wilderness. 

Capture of Sullivan. — In August, Sulhvan was 
made a major-general, and ordered to join Washing- 
ton at New York. During the battle of Brooklyn, 
he was stationed at Brooklyn Heights, where with 
four thousand men he successfully opposed a much 
laro^er force of Hessians. He was able to hold his 
ground from nine o'clock until noon, when, being 
attacked upon the rear by forces outnumbering his 
own six to one, he was overpowered and captured 
while bravely leading a charge. 

Sullivan was taken on board Lord Howe's flagship, 
the " Eagle," where he was kindly treated. During 
his captivity he was released on parole by Howe in 
order to take a message to Philadelphia, asking Con- 
gress to appoint a committee who should confer with 
him concerning terms of peace. This idea was carried 
out and the conference was held, but the committee 
came to no agreement, as they were not satisfied with 
Lord Howe's terms. General Sullivan was afterwards 
exchanged for General Prescott. 

Sullivan at Trenton. — On regaining his liberty Sul- 
livan joined the army under General Lee at North 
Castle, New York. Lee had been ordered to hasten 
to the relief of Washington, but he delayed and was 
captured by the enemy. Sullivan succeeded to the 
command, and lost no time in joining his forces 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 1 29 

with those of Washington beyond the Delaware. He 
arrived in time to take charge of the right wing in 
the battle of Trenton, and Colonel Stark was oriven 
command of the advance guard, which division con- 
ducted itself with such honor that Washington asked, 
" WHiat troops are those ? " General Sullivan replied, 
" Full-blooded Yankees, sir, from New Hampshire." 
It is said that Stockman Sweat, one of the " full- 
blooded Yankees " in Stark's regiment, distinguished 
himself by bringing in, unaided, five Hessian prisoners 
in a body. His explanation of the capture was that 
he did it by " surrounding them." 

The time for which Sullivan's men had enlisted 
expired on the first of January, and as the enemy was 
approaching with a large force it was important to 
keep all the army together in order to prevent their 
advancing on Philadelphia ; accordingly, he prevailed 
on his troops to reenlist for six weeks, thus making 
possible the victory of Princeton. 

On the 13th of February, 1777, he wrote to 
Meshech Weare, president of the assembly of New 
Hampshire : — 

'' You may want to know how your men fight. I 
tell you, exceedingly well when they have the proper 
officers. I have been much pleased to see a day 
approaching to try the difference between Yankee 
cowardice and southern valor. The day, or rather 
the days, have arrived. . . . General Washington 



I30 COLONIAL LIFE 

made no scruple to say, publicly, that the remnant of 
the eastern regiments was the strength of his army, 
though their numbers, comparatively speaking, were 
small. He calls them in front when the enemy are 
there ; he sends them to the rear when the enemy 
threatens that way. All the general ofHcers allow 
them to be the best of the troops. The southern 
officers and soldiers allow it in time of danger, but 
not at all at other times. Believe me, sir, the Yankees 
took Trenton before the other troops knew anything 
of the matter. More than that, there was an engage- 
ment; and, what will surprise you still more, the line 
that attacked the town consisted of but eight hundred 
Yankees, and there were sixteen hundred Hessians to 
oppose them. At Princeton, when the Seventeenth 
Regiment had thrown thirty-five hundred southern 
militia into confusion, a regiment of Yankees restored 
the day." 

Battle of Brandywine. — Sullivan was given com- 
mand of the right wing in the battle of Brandywine. 
The day on which the battle occurred was so foggy 
that the Americans had not been able to perceive the 
enemy's movements clearly, but it was reported that 
two brigades had crossed the Brandywine and were 
marching down the left bank. Washington ordered 
Sullivan to join the divisions of Stirling and Stephen 
in opposing the advance of the British. Upon his 
arrival, he found that instead of two brio-ades, the 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 131 

whole force of General Howe's army had crossed the 
river under cover of the fog. 

The enemy began their attack before the Ameri- 
cans had time to form in line of battle, thus throwing 
many of them into confusion. The artillery, however, 
promptly took possession of a hill, and by their rapid 
firing kept the attention of the enemy until the broken 
troops could be rallied. General Sullivan behaved 
most courageously, at one time rallying the fright- 
ened soldiers, again directing the artillery on the hill, 
and exposing himself to every danger. His horse was 
shot under him during the engagement. Finally, by 
force of numbers, he was compelled to retreat, leaving 
the ground covered with the bodies of the enemy. 
Thus did three or four thousand American soldiers 
keep twelve thousand British at bay for nearly two 
hours, and then retreated in such good order that 
the enemy did not attempt to follow them. 

In spite of the defeat at Brandywine, Washing- 
ton resolved to again give battle to the British, but 
a violent storm destroyed his ammunition, and he 
was obliged to let Lord Howe enter Philadelphia un- 
molested. Howe quartered most of his soldiers at 
Germantown, eight miles north of Philadelphia. 
The Americans made a spirited attack upon this 
town, but on account of a dense fog which prevented 
their distinguishing friend from foe, they were forced 
to retreat. 



132 COLONIAL LIFE 

Sullivan at Rhode Island. — General Sullivan spent 
the winter among the privations of Valley Forge. 
In April, 1778, he was given command of the army 
in Rhode Island. Upon arriving at Providence, he 
found his command reduced to only five hundred 
men ; but, fortunately, the English, who were stationed 
at Newport under General Piggott, had no idea that 
they were opposed by so small a force. 

Sullivan made every endeavor to increase the size 
of his army, which finally, after he was joined by 
the forces of Lafayette, numbered about ten thou- 
sand men. He was also aided by the French fleet 
under Count D'Estaing, but soon the French forces 
were withdrawn, which so disheartened the American 
troops that many deserted. Sullivan, being thus re- 
duced in numbers, retreated at night to Butt's Hill, 
where he was attacked by the British. The battle 
lasted the entire day, and resulted in a complete vic- 
tory for the Americans. Lafayette is reported to 
have said that Butt's Hill was the best fought battle 
of the war. The Americans lost but one hundred 
men, while the British lost over a thousand. Soon 
after, the British were heavily reinforced, and Sulli- 
van was compelled to retreat. The legislatures of 
both New Hampshire and Rhode Island compli- 
mented General Sullivan upon his management of 
this campaign. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 1 33 

Expedition against the Iroquois. — The Iroquois 
Indians, who occupied the central part of New York 
State, were alhes of the British, and had given much 
trouble to the Americans, so much so that Washing- 
ton determined to teach them a lesson, and selected 
General Sullivan as a proper officer to inspire in them 
a respect for the American arms. Accordingly, in 
July, 1779, a small and poorly equipped army started 
up the Susquehanna River through the trackless 
wilderness to subdue a force of over a thousand 
Indians, together with seven or eight hundred British 
regulars. 

At one time, when on the march, Sullivan's devo- 
tion to duty was clearly shown by his giving up his 
favorite charger as a pack horse, in order that neces- 
sary supplies should not be left behind. 

On the 29th of August, scouting parties reported 
to Sullivan that a large force of Indians, Tories, and 
British soldiers under the command of the Indian, 
Joseph Brant, and of Colonel Butler, had entrenched 
themselves in a very strong position, and were await- 
ino^ the American advance. 

It was a critical period, as the defense represented 
the entire fighting force of the Iroquois. Sullivan 
immediately formed his plan of attack; the artillery, 
well supported by infantry, were placed along the cen- 
ter, while the New Hampshire brigade, under Colonel 
Poor, crossed the swamp and fought their way stub- 



134 



COLONIAL LIFE 



bornly up the hill, which stood on the enemy's left, in 
order to flank their position. In spite of all opposi- 
tion, the flank movement was successful, and the enemy 
being unable to withstand the combined attacks of the 




The Sullivan House. 



artillery in front and of the infantry on their left, broke 
and fled. 

The Indians were so impressed with the power of 
the Continental troops that they dared not risk another 
encounter, and the whole country was deserted. Sul- 
livan, to make his conquest more complete, burned 
everything which could possibly be of use to the 
Indians. 

On the 1 6th day of September the army arrived 
at Geneseo, the largest town of the Iroquois, which 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 135 

Sullivan describes as consisting of one hundred 
twenty-eight large, elegant dwellings, with orchards 
of fine fruit trees, some of which were very old ; also 
with large fields of corn and vegetables. 

When he had completed the destruction of every 
village and cornfield belonging to the Five Nations, 
Sullivan began his return journey. The army arrived 
in Boston on the 15th of October, after a march of 
nearly seven hundred miles through the wilderness. 

In recognition of the success of this expedition, 
Washington ofiicially " congratulated the army on the 
complete and full success of Major-General Sullivan 
and of the troops under his command against the 
Senecas and other tribes of the Five Nations, as a 
just and necessary punishment for their wanton depre- 
dations, their unparalleled and innumerable cruelties, 
and their deafness to all entreaties." Congress also 
accorded a vote of thanks to Washington and Sullivan 
for the plan and successful issue of this expedition. 

Sullivan Fills Many Important Positions. — Sullivan's 
health became so broken from his five years of hard 
service, that he was compelled to resign his commis- 
sion. Congress accepted his resignation and expressed 
its gratitude for his valuable services. He reached 
Durham in February, 1780, anxious to resume his 
interrupted law practice and to quietly enter into 
private life. The people, however, had such trust 
in his integrity that they insisted on sending him as 



136 COLONIAL LIFE 

a delegate to Congress to present their New Hampshire 
side in the dispute over what is now Vermont, but which 
was then known as the " New Hampshire Grants." 
This controversy was not finally settled until 1791, 
when Congress decided to make the land into a sep- 
arate state. Sullivan was also elected to hold the 
position of attorney-general for New Hampshire, which 
office was afterwards held by both his son and grandson. 

Upon the retirement of Meshech Weare, General 
Sullivan was elected to the office of president of the 
state. When in the president's chair, Sullivan was 
very active in the support of the state military organ- 
izations, and formed twenty thousand militia into 
regiments of infantry, cavalry and artillery. 

The Exeter Riot. — After the close of the war, the 
country was in a very demoralized condition. The 
people had expected that when they obtained their 
liberty, prosperity would come of its own accord. 
Many of them, therefore, as they still experienced 
the hard times, became clamorous for state aid. The 
trouble finally culminated at Exeter, where several 
hundred armed men assembled in open rebellion and 
demanded of the legislature that it should pass such 
laws as they wished. Among others, the following 
demands w^re most prominent ; that there should 
be a large issue of paper money, that property should 
be equally distributed among all people, and, finally, 
that all debts should be abolished. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 137 

The mob assembled before the doors of the state 
house and threatened to use force unless the 
legislature granted their requests. Sullivan, who 
was president of the senate as well as of the 
state, stepped to the doors and addressed the rioters. 
He explained to them carefully wherein their claims 
were unjust, and told them that even if they were 
just, the legislature would not take any action 
while its members w^re threatened by an armed 
force. 

The mob then left the building, but placed sentries 
at the door to prevent the senators from going home. 
Meantime, the senate proceeded with their customary 
business and adjourned at the usual hour. As Sulli- 
van attempted to leave the chamber, the mob which 
had assembled barred his passage, and the cry arose 
from among them to fire upon him. Sullivan told 
them that he had already smelt too much powder to 
be afraid of theirs. At this moment a drum was 
heard in the distance, and the mob, thinking the 
artillery was coming, hastily withdrew. The next 
morning several companies of militia, including a 
squadron of cavalry, were drawn up in the town ready 
for action. At first the insurgents were disposed to 
resist, but being charged upon by the cavalry, they 
scattered in all directions. Several of the ringleaders 
were afterwards arrested, but, through the leniency of 
Sullivan, were discharged. 



i 



138 COLONIAL LIFE 

Final Adoption of the Constitution. — Sullivan played 
a very important part in the final adoption of the 
Constitution of the United States. It was necessary 
to have nine states agree to the Constitution before 
it could go into effect. Eight states had already 
voted in its favor, and it was of the greatest impor- 
tance that New Hampshire should also give its sanc- 
tion in order to have it adopted. Sullivan exerted all 
his influence in its favor, and on the 21st of June, 
1788, New Hampshire adopted the Constitution by a 
vote of fifty-seven to forty-six. This date is impor- 
tant as it represents the adoption of the Constitution 
of the United States. 

Washington, in 1789, appointed Sullivan United 
States Judge of New Hampshire, which ofiice he held 
for many years. 

During the latter part of his life, Sullivan suffered 
much. from a spinal trouble brought on by an injury 
received in the Iroquois campaign. This caused his 
death on the 23d of January, 1795. He was buried 
in the little family cemetery near his home at Durham. 



Upon the adoption of the Constitution the history of 
New Hampshire as a separate colony became merged 
into that of the United States, and consequently the 
sphere of this work has reached its limit. 



IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 1 39 

During the years that have elapsed since the form- 
ing of the Union, New Hampshire has clone her part 
toward moulding the destinies of the Republic. The 
names of Daniel Webster, Franklin Pierce, Salmon 
P. Chase, Horace Greeley, Henry Wilson, William 
Pitt Fessenden, Benjamin ¥. Butler, John P. Hale, 
Lewis Cass, John A. Dix, and Charles A. Dana recall 
the fact that a state small in area and in population 
may be great in the character of her men. 

At one time, when Webster was asked to account 
for the " Great Stone Face " at Franconia, he made 
the following reply: "You merchants of the city dis- 
play signs outside your doors to indicate what goods 
you make there ; the Almighty has placed his sign on 
that cliff to indicate that he makes men here." 



INDEX. 



-•o*- 



Abercrombie, General, 99, 102. 
Adams, Dr., trial at Bennington, 88. 
Adams, Ephraim, 1 18. 
Adams, John, 122. 
Albany, New York, 117. 
Algonquin race. The, 30. 
Allen, Ethan, 87. 
Allen, Rev. Thomas, 112. 
Allen, Samuel, 70. 
Amherst, Sir Jeffrey, 27, 102. 
Andre, Major, Trial of, 119. 
Andros, Governor, 69. 
Apprenticeship of boys, 61. 
Arnold, General, 106. 
Articles of the Association of Amer- 
ican Colonies, 89. 

Backlog, The, 43. 
Baker, Captain, 39. 
Baker's River, 96. 
Barbadoes, 56. 
Barefoot, 68. 
Baum, Colonel, iii, 113. 
Belcher, Jonathan, 71. 
Bellows, Colonel, 25. 
Belmont, Earl of, 71. 
Bennington, 85, 86. 
Battle of. III. 
Berkshire militia, The, in. 
Bickford, 11. 



Blanchard, Colonel, 99. 
Blanchard, Thomas, 15. 
Blockhouse, The, 7. 
Bloody Point, 66. 
Boston, 8, 56. 

Boundary dispute between Massachu- 
setts and New Hampshire, 71. 
Brandywine, Battle of, 130. 
Brant, Joseph, 133. 
Brayman, Colonel, 114. 
Building, Methods of, 62. 
Bunker Hill, Powder at, 124. 
Burgess, Elseus, 71. 
Burgoyne's invasion, 109. 
Burnet, William, 71. 
Butler, Colonel, 133. 
Butt's Hill, Battle of, 132. 

Cambridge, Vermont, iii. 
Canada, 12. 

Capture of, 29. 

Expedition against, 106. 
Catamount Tavern, 88. 
Chamberlain, 19. 
Charles H, 83. 
Charlestown, 6. 

Attack upon, 22. 
Charlestown Neck, 104. 
Chimney Point, 107. 
Clothing of early settlers, 47. 



141 



142 



INDEX. 



Cold River, 25. 
Commerce, 55. 
Committee of Safety, 88. 
Concord, 5, 30. 
Congress, no. 

Action of, 116. 

Provincial, of New Hampshire, 
78. 
Connecticut, 83. 

River, 5, 80. 
Constitution, Final adoption of, 137. 

of New Hampshire, 78. 
Cooking, Methods of, 44. 

utensils, 46. 
Copp's Hill, 105. 
Corn, Indian, 5. 
Counties, Division into, 76. 
Cranfield, Edward, 67. 
Cross, Nathan, 15. 
Crown Point, 98, 99. 
Cutt, John, 67. 

Dartmouth College, 40, 76, 79. 
Dead falls, how constructed, 51. 
Dearborn, Captain, 104, 106. 
Debeline's attack upon Number 

Four, 22. 
Declaration of Independence, 107, 1 22. 
Demeritt, Captain John, 106, 125. 
Derryfield, 96. 
D'Estaing, Count, 132. 
Dieskau, Baron, 99. 
Dover, 2, 8, 12, 65, 69. 
Dudley, Joseph, 69, 71. 
Duke of York, 83. 
Dunbarton, 102. 
Dunstable, 5. 

Massacre at, 15. 
Durham, 106. 



Exchange, Means of, 51. 
Exeter, 4, 65, 69, ']'], 78. 
riot, 135. 

Farwell, Lieutenant, 16. 
Fireplace, how constructed, 43. 
Five Nations, 134. 

Fort Ticonderoga, Attack upon, loi. 
Fort William Henry, 99, 100. 

Attack upon, loi. 
Fort William and Mary, 106. 

Capture of, 123. 
French in Canada, 6. 
Frontenac, Count, Governor of Can- 
ada, 27. 

Gage, General, 104. 

Gates, General, 117. 

Geneseo, Iroquois village of, 133. 

George I, 71. 

Gerrish, Sarah, 12. 

Glasgow, University of, 96. 

Goodwin, Mehitable, 12. 

Gorges, Sir Ferdinando, 3. 

Grants, New Hampshire, 'i^^. 

Green, General, 107. 

Green Mountain Boys, 86, 87, 114. 

Green Mountain Tavern, 88. 

Hampton, 69. 

Falls, 71, 78. 
Herrick, Captain, 112. 
Hilton, Colonel Winthrop, 13. 

Edward, 2. 

Patent, 66. 
Home, Founding of a, 51. 
Howe, General, 105, 109. 
Huckins' Garrison, 10. 
Hunting, 50. 
Flutchinson, Mrs. Anne, 4. 



INDEX. 



143 



Indian children, 33. 

cunning, 38. 

farming, 35. 

fire making, yj. 

food, 35. 

hunters, 33. 

skill, 36. 

village, 31. 

women, 32. 
Indians, Conflicts with the, 6. 

Customs of, 30. 

their idea of land, 40. 
Iroquois, The, 30. 

Expedition against the, 132. 

James TI, 67. 

Jonathan of Plymouth, 2. 

Kennebec River, 106. 
Kilburn's defense, 24. 
King's Arrow, 92. 

trees, 61. 
King George, 80, 84. 
Knowlton, Sir Charles, 24. 

Laconia, Company of, 3. 

Lady Wentworth, poem, 74. 

Lafayette, General, 132. 

Lake Champlain, 3, 99. 

Lake George, 99. 

Langdon, John, 109, 123. 

Lebanon, Connecticut, 79. 

Lexington, 77, 103. 

Lincoln, General, no. 

Linen cloth, 48. 

Livermore, Judge, of Portsmouth, 

120. 
Log houses, 42. 
Londonderry, 55. 



Loudoun, loi. 

Louisburg, Expedition to, 20. 

The surrender of, 21. 
Love well, John, 17. 

Manchester, History of, 65. 
Mansfield, Connecticut, 79. 
Maple sugar, Making of, 49. 
Mason, Captain John, 3, 4. 

Robert, 67. 
Mason's Claim, 68-70. 
Massachusetts, 5, 70, 83. 
Bay Colony, 2, 4, 65. 
Grants by, 5. 
Jurisdiction of, 66. 
Mast trees, 61. 
McClary, Major, 104. 
McClure, Dr., 80. 
McNeil, John, 55. 
Medford, 103. 
Meeting-house, 58. 
Merrimac, 5. 

River, 65. 
Mesandowit, 9. 
Mills for grinding corn, 53. 
Missiscoe Bay, 28. 
Moor, Colonel Joshua, 79. 
Moor's Indian school, 40, 79. 
Mudgett, Capture of, 92. 
Mystic River, 105. 

Nashua, South, 17. 
Navigation Acts, 94. 
Neale, Captain Walter, 3, 65. 
New Hampshire Grants, 83. 

Meeting for organization in, 85. 

Settlement of dispute over, 135. 
New York, 83. 

Officials of, 85. 



144 



INDEX. 



Nichols, Captain, 112. 
Northampton, Massachusetts, 39, 90. 
Northfield, Massachusetts, 5. 
Norton, Francis, 4. 
Number Four, 6, 22, 29. 
Nutfield, 96. 
Nutter, Anthony, 68. 

Occum, 79. 
Otter Creek, 87. 
Oyster River, 9, 12. 

Page, Elizabeth, 102. 
Palisades, 7. 
Pannaway, i. 
Parliament, Action of, 125. 

Leaders in, 95. 
Partridge, William, 70. 
Passaconaway, 30. 
Paugus, 18. 
Peak, 25. 
Penacook, 5, 30. 
Pepperell, Colonel William, 20. 
Pequakets, 18. 

Philadelphia, Advance on, 129. 
Philip, a spy, 24. 
Philip, King, 8. 
Pine Tree Law, 92. 
Piscataqua, i, 3, 4, 56. 
Plymouth, New Hampshire, 38. 

Council of, I, 3. 
Poor, Colonel, 103. 
Portsmouth, 36, 62, 65, 69. 
Pound, The, 58. 
Prescott, Colonel, 103. 
Princeton, Battle of, 108. 
Putnam, General, 105. 

Queen Anne, 71. 



Quint, Dr., 125. 
Quitt rents, 5. 

Rangers, New Hampshire, 98. 

Reed, Colonel, 103. 

Reid, Colonel, 87. 

Representation in Parliament, 91. 

Revere, Paul, 123. 

Revolutionary War, Commencement 

of, 103. 
Rodgers, Robin, 12. 
Rogers, Major, 27. 
Robert, 98, 99. 
Royal Province of New Hampshire, 

67. 

Salmon Falls, 12. 
Scammel, Alexander, 125. 
Schools, 57. 
Schuyler, General, no. 
Settlers, Early customs of, 42. 

First, I. 
Sexton, The, 58. 
Shipbuilding, 55. 

Shirley, Governor of New York, 24. 
Shute, Samuel, 71. 
Skill, Trials of, 54. 
Slavery in Canada, 12. 
Slaves, Keeping of, 61. 
" Snowbound," Selection from, 64. 
Spikeman, Captain, 99. 
Stamp Act, 94. 
Standish, Miles, 2. 
Stark among the Indians, 97. 

at Bunker Hill, 103. 

Command of Northern Depart- 
ment, 1 19. 

Death of, 119. 

Early life of, 96. 



INDEX. 



145 



Stark given independent command, 
no. 
Headquarters of, 117. 
Lieutenant, 98. 
Ransom of, 98. 

Report of the Battle of Benning- 
ton, 1 14. 
resigns, 108. 
Wife of, 113. 
Stevens, Captain Phineas, 22, 98. 
St. Francis, Indian village of, 27, 97. 
Strength, Trials of, 54. 
Sugar Act, 91. 
Sullivan, James, 122. 
John, 120, 108. 

as a lawyer, 121. 

at Rhode Island, 131. 

at Trenton, 128. 

Capture of, 127. 

his boyhood, 120. 

his father, 120. 

his mother, 120. 

in command of the army in 

Canada, 127. 
resigns, 135. 
U. S. Judge, 137. 
Sweat, Stockman, 129. 

Taxation, Unjust, 94. 
Ten Eyck, New York Sheriff, 86. 
Thompson, David, i, 3. 
Ticonderoga, 99. 



Tithing-man, 59. 
Trapping, 50. 
Trenton, Battle of, 107. 

Usher, John, 70. 

Vaughn, Colonel William, 2r. 
"Vigilant," The French Ship, 21. 
Villieu, Sieur de, 10. 
Virginia, 56. 

Waldron, Major, 8, 12. 

Walpole, 24. 

Wampum, 51. 

War, French and Indian, 72, 91. 

Warner, Colonel, 114. 

Washington, General, 106, 107, 116, 

134. 

Weare, Meshech, 78, 129, 135. 
Weare, Rioters at, 92. 
Wentworth, Benning, 72, 92. 

John, 71. 

John II, 76, 80, 82. 
Westminster Massacre, 89. 
Wheelock, P^leazer, 40, 79. 
Wheelwright, 98. 
Whiting, 92. 
Wiggin, Thomas, 65, 68. 
Winthrop, Governor John, 65. 
Women, Bravery of, 11. 
Workmen, Traveling, 47. 
Wrestling, 54. 
Wyman, 104. 



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